Thank you Daily News.
Official Ruling here.
Judge Bursts Bloomberg’s Soda Ban Bubble—Courthouse News on the Soda Ban ruling; good summary of the strongly worded decision.
A Legal Guide to the Soda Ban Ruling—WSJ answers some legal FAQs. While I recognize that the ban was problematic due to uneven enforcement, personally, I agree with Jennifer Pomeranz, director of legal initiatives at Yale University’s Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity:
“The authority of the department of health is the exact same authority [in both cases]. It doesn’t make sense to me that the trans fat ban is legal, and they struck this down.”
NYC Soda Ban Struck Down. Paves Way for Eventual Soda Tax—Fooducate on the Soda Ban ruling; includes five main arguments crafted by the beverage industry and counterpoints. (Note how the silhouette of the person in the Anti-Soda Ban poster is muscular and fit.)
Corporate health 1, public health 0: Judge nixes Bloomberg soda cap–Marion Nestle on the Soda Ban ruling; quotes Michael Jacobson, Executive Director of CSPI, with a hopeful perspective of the long-term consequences of the ruling:
“When the city became the first to require calorie counts on chain restaurant menus, the industry similarly tried to use the courts to stop that measure from taking effect. Ultimately, the city prevailed, paving the way for other jurisdictions, and eventually Congress, to pass similar calorie labeling measures. We are confident that the city will prevail here. Many years hence, people will look back and think it was crazy for sugar drinks to ever be served in 32- and 64-ounce pails.”
Cheering a Setback to the City’s Drink Limits—NYT on Soda Ban ruling, mostly criticism of the ban, like this low blow:
“Eating healthfully is different when you don’t have a lot of money to spend,” she said. “And that’s something the mayor probably didn’t think about, because he didn’t have to.”
Convincing argument, except water is free.
Soda Wars Backlash: Mississippi Passes ‘Anti-Bloomberg’ Bill—NPR on Mississippi’s baffling response to the Soda Ban, where they defend themselves against the overreaching nanny state by banning counties and towns from enacting local rules related to nutrition and health.
“A bill now on the governor’s desk would bar counties and towns from enacting rules that require calorie counts to be posted, that cap portion sizes, or that keep toys out of kids’ meals. “The Anti-Bloomberg Bill” garnered wide bipartisan support in both chambers of the legislature in a state where one in three adults is obese, the highest rate in the nation.”
Sugary drinks linked to greater high-calorie food intake, study finds–In case you were waffling on the need for government regulation on this issue, note this new study confirming not-so-new knowledge: intakes of sugar-sweetened drinks are associated with increased calorie consumption of other foods such as sweets and pizza in children, warn researchers.
In closing, thanks to this ruling, instead of long-awaited government action on our obesity epidemic becoming effective today, on Tuesday, March 12th, 2013, we can instead look forward to a couple more months, years or possibly decades of this:
On Monday, Christopher Gindlesperger, a spokesman for the American Beverage Association said that the court decision “provides a sigh of relief. With this ruling behind us, we look forward to collaborating with city leaders on solutions that will have a meaningful and lasting impact on the people of New York City.”
Great. Because these are the guys that totally have our back.
Sustaining Starter 