Boston Bans Soda On Public Property
And not just soda, but any sort of sugary drink, the claim being that this ban will help reduce obesity and thus health care costs.
Because that’s the obvious solution, right? If people live in healthy lives, just start dictating to them what food and drinks they can and cannot consume.
Saying that sugary drinks have caused rising obesity among city residents and driven up health care costs, Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino today moved to ban the sale, advertising, and promotion of the drinks on all city property.
“I want to create a civic environment that makes the healthier choice the easier choice in people’s lives, whether it’s schools, worksites, or other places in the community,” Menino said in a statement.
Menino issued an executive order requiring city departments to take steps in the next six months to phase out the beverages.
The order applies to cafeterias, vending machines, concession stands, and beverages served at meetings, the mayor’s office said.
The drinks that will be banned include: non-diet sodas, pre-sweetened ice teas, refrigerated coffee drinks, energy drinks, juice drinks with added sugar, and sports drinks. The order will allow the sale of diet sodas, diet iced teas, 100 percent juices, low-calorie sports drinks, low-sugar sweetened beverages, sweetened soy milk, and flavored sweetened milk. It will also allow the sale of such items as bottled water, and flavored and unflavored seltzer water.
What’s going to happen is that sales at vending machines on city property will plummet. Because the reason why these machines were selling sugary drinks to begin with was because people wanted them. If they can’t get the drinks they want from these machines, they’ll go elsewhere.
It makes me wonder how much money the city makes from allowing these vending machines on their property. I would assume it’s significant, and what happens when those revenues fall?
I’m sure the city will expect the taxpayers to bridge the gap.
Tags: boston, nanny statism, obesity
