Dive Brief:
- A committee of San Francisco lawmakers is set to discuss three bills that could reignite the debate over what can be done about soda and sugary drinks.
- After a proposed soda tax was defeated last year, these new bills take different approaches while still voicing the health concerns that surround these types of beverages.
- According to the Associated Press, "One proposed measure would require soda ads posted on buses, billboards and other city surfaces to carry warnings stating that drinks with added sugar contribute to obesity, diabetes and tooth decay. The rule would also apply to sports venues. The other laws under consideration would ban soda ads on public property and prohibit city funds from being used to buy soda."
Dive Insight:
Sugary beverage makers don't believe they should be singled out for the sugar in their products when so many other food products on the market contain sugar as well.
Opponents of sugary beverages say that the main problem is these drinks do not satiate consumers' appetites, though they continue to pack in the calories with each sip. These next three bills take different approaches than both the tax as well as the proposal for warning labels on individual products, which died in committee earlier this year.
Whether the food industry, legislators, and consumers warm to the changes or demand that still something different be done is a battle that will likely wage on for quite some time.