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posted by Fnord666 on Wednesday May 29 2019, @01:31PM   Printer-friendly
from the saving-you-from-yourself dept.

California lawmakers on Thursday advanced the last major surviving bill in a package aimed at reducing consumption of sodas, approving a measure that would require health warning labels on sugary drinks.

The measure by Sen. Bill Monning (D-Carmel) received a bare majority of votes even though some Democrats withheld votes while others in the majority party joined Republicans in opposition.

The latest action follows this year’s shelving of measures that would have put a tax on soda and banned “Big Gulp”-style sodas in an effort to address health risks including obesity and diabetes that are posed by sugary drinks.

“They represent the single leading source of increased bad calories that are being promoted in our communities and pushed on communities of color,” Monning said during the floor debate, citing a “national epidemic” of diabetes.

The label on container would say: “STATE OF CALIFORNIA SAFETY WARNING: Drinking beverages with added sugar(s) may contribute to obesity, type 2 diabetes, and tooth decay.”

[...] The American Beverage Assn. opposed the bill with a strong push by lobbyists and while making major political contributions to state lawmakers.

The industry argued that the bill and its health impact claims went too far.

“There are already more effective ways to help people manage their overall sugar consumption rather than through mandatory and misleading messages,” said Steven Maviglio, a spokesman for the American Beverage Assn.

[...] Legislators are also still considering a bill that would bar the soda industry from offering subsidies including discount coupons that encourage soda consumption.


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  • (Score: 4, Interesting) by DannyB on Wednesday May 29 2019, @04:08PM (2 children)

    by DannyB (5839) Subscriber Badge on Wednesday May 29 2019, @04:08PM (#848954) Journal

    Solution: stop bundling the sugar into the soda.

    Sell the sugar separately and allow the end user to add as much as they could possibly ever want, to customize it to their individual taste.

    Now the soda no longer needs a warning label.

    --
    People today are educated enough to repeat what they are taught but not to question what they are taught.
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  • (Score: 4, Touché) by PartTimeZombie on Wednesday May 29 2019, @08:12PM

    by PartTimeZombie (4827) on Wednesday May 29 2019, @08:12PM (#849060)

    You guys could also stop subsidising the sugar industry to the tune of $4 billion per year. [marketwatch.com]

  • (Score: 3, Informative) by AthanasiusKircher on Wednesday May 29 2019, @10:15PM

    by AthanasiusKircher (5291) on Wednesday May 29 2019, @10:15PM (#849097) Journal

    I know this is sarcasm, but I actually think it's got a good point. People are used to soda being ridiculously sweet, so they expect it. I personally almost never drink soda, because it tastes so awful and incredibly sweet that I find it revolting.

    There are sodas (mostly premium ones) that contain a lot less sugar, and I don't mind them as much. But all mainstream soda in the U.S. is ridiculously sweet. I think consumers don't have a choice and they're used to it.

    Compare to the practice of iced "sweet tea" in the Southeastern U.S. People there are used to it, but I find it disgustingly sweet. In the North, many people just drink unsweetened iced tea and aren't bothered by the lack of sugar. (Some do in the South too... Hence I learned how to order a 'half and half" tea to get something that's not quite as disgustingly sweet, though still way too sweet for me to drink regularly.)

    People are used to sweetness patterns, but would they really choose to make drinks as sweet if they weren't raised on such things? But breaking the cemented public taste is hard. I once tried a few years back at a gas station to find a less sweet iced tea drink when I stopped on the road, so I looked at labels and looked for lower amounts of sugar and calories... And found one, advertised with less sugar. Until I tasted it, and almost spit it out because it was so sweet -- turns out they replaced over half the sugar with sucralose, which I saw when I read the label more carefully.

    I for one would welcome the ability to choose to sweeten my drinks much less than what most companies sell.