NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg is sometimes known as Nanny Bloomberg, but that’s not entirely fair…

• In an effort to fight the twin epidemics of obesity and diabetes, the mayor of New York City and the governor of New York State have teamed up to get sugary drinks out of the hands of low-income residents. Bloomberg has already won smoking bans in restaurants and bars, and junk food bans in public schools.
• They’ve asked the federal government to ban the sale of soda and other sugary drinks to New York City residents using food stamps. Cigarettes and alcohol are already off-limits to these customers.
• The ban will serve as a two-year experiment to see whether reducing availability of sugary drinks reduces obesity and diabetes rates, as well as overall sales of sugary drinks. Bloomberg recently tried to add a tax on all sugary drinks, but his proposal was defeated by industry lobbyists.

Facts & Figures

• 1.7 million city residents currently receive food stamps.
• An estimated $135 million in federal food aid is used to purchase sugary drinks.
• Approximately 40% of kids from kindergarten through eighth grade and 60% adults in NYC are overweight or obese.
• Drinking one sugary drink per day increases a child’s likelihood of being obese by 60%.

Best Quote

“We’re saying you can’t use a government-subsidized health program to do it.” – Jessica Scaperotti, Mayoral Press Aide, insisting the mayor is not trying to prevent poor New Yorkers from purchasing sugary drinks