We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: most of us know by now that soda isn’t exactly a health food. But soon, soda may come with a safety warning label, much like the ones on cigarettes.
What will it say, exactly? Something along the lines of: “WARNING: Drinking beverages with added sugar(s) contributes to obesity, diabetes, and tooth decay.” Oof.
Photo courtesy of well.blogs.nytimes.com
A bill to try this out was unanimously passed in San Francisco in June of 2015. Their warning stated: “Drinking beverages with added sugar(s) contributes to obesity, diabetes, and tooth decay.”
Unsurprisingly, big soda companies got pissed and sued within a month, claiming it “violated core First Amendment Principles.” Predictable.
Photo courtesy of publichealthadvocacy.org
Apparently, similar bills have been proposed in NYC. Studies have shown the warning label has noticeable impacts. For example, fewer parents bought soda for their kids when soda had labels compared to when it did not.
Would you still drink soda if it came with a warning label? If so, you should probably know about this ingredient. For now, I think we’ll stick to water.