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San Francisco Chronicle/ Soda Tax/Our New Tobacco
Friday, September 18, 2009 (SF Chronicle)
Newsom wants to charge stores that sell sodas
Heather Knight, Chronicle Staff Writer
(09-17) 20:36 PDT -- Calling soda the new tobacco, San Francisco Mayor
Gavin Newsom will introduce legislation this fall that would charge a fee
to retailers that sell sugary beverages.
Newsom would need voter approval to tax individual cans of soda and sugary
juice, but only needs approval from the Board of Supervisors to levy a fee
on retailers. His legislation would charge grocery stores like Safeway and
big-box stores, but would not affect restaurants that serve sodas.
Newsom wouldn't say how much the stores would have to pay or how the city
would spend the fees. When he first floated the idea in 2007, he said the
money would go to his Shape Up San Francisco exercise program and for
media campaigns to discourage soda drinking.
The mayor said the city attorney's office has warned him the city would
probably be sued over the matter, but he said it is worth the risk to try
to curb a leading cause of obesity and diabetes.
"We know we'll be sued," he said. "But I really believe this is important
to do."
Newsom said he was particularly motivated to move forward with the
legislation by Thursday's release of a UCLA study showing a link between
soda and obesity in California. Researchers found that adults who drink at
least one soft drink a day are 27 percent more likely to be obese than
those who don't - and that soda consumption is fueling the state's $41
billion annual obesity problem.
The study also found that 41 percent of children and 62 percent of teens
drink at least one soda daily.
"Soda is cheap, sweet and irresistibly marketed to teens," said Susan
Babey, the study's lead author. "Not enough teens know about the health
and dietary risks of drinking huge quantities of what is essentially
liquid sugar." San Francisco would be the first city in the country to
levy a fee on soda if, as expected, it is approved by the board. A handful
of states, including Arkansas and Missouri, tax sodas, and California has
considered the idea in the past. A soda tax has also come up in the
national debate about health care reform as one way to help pay to insure
more people. Industry's fight
The American Beverage Association has consistently fought attempts to
implement soda taxes, and on Thursday released a statement combatting
UCLA's study.
It read in part, "If our goal is to address obesity, then educating
consumers about the importance of balancing calories consumed from all
foods and beverages with the calories expended through physical activity
is what matters - not demonizing any one particular food." Health
legislation
In San Francisco, a soda tax would be just the most recent example of a
long line of legislation intended to improve residents' health - a pattern
some residents have complained smacks of a nanny state.
In recent years, city officials have banned the sale of cigarettes in
pharmacies, added a fee to packs of cigarettes, required chain restaurants
to display calories and fat content on menus, and created a program to
recognize restaurants that don't serve trans fats.
Jim Lazarus, vice president of the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce, said
the group opposes the soda tax.
"Does this mean there's a fee on candy bars, on ice cream, on potato
chips?" he asked. "Where do you draw the line?"
He added that a small fee - likely to be passed on from the retailer to
the consumer - wouldn't be enough to dramatically change people's habits,
leading him to believe it's meant to be just another revenue source for
the city.
Mitch Katz, director of the city's Department of Public Health, said a
study conducted over the past nine months shows a clear link between soda
consumption and an increased burden on the public health system. He did
not have a total dollar figure. Just a first step
He said he considers a soda fee an incremental step, and that other sugary
foods could someday have a surcharge as well.
"It makes sense for the government to help people to make the right
choices, and it makes sense to use dollars from charges on sweetened
beverages on health programs," he said. Soda and obesity
A new UCLA study examined sugary drinks and their effect on state spending
and consumers' health.
$41 billion Amount spent treating obesity in California each year.
41 percent Kids ages 2-11 who drink at least one soda every day.
62 percent Adolescents 12-17 who drink at least one soda every day.
39 pounds Amount of sugar consumed over one year if you drink one soda a
day.
17 teaspoons Amount of sugar in a 20-ounce serving of soda.
278 calories Increased number Americans consume each day compared with 30
years ago.
43 percent Share of new calories attributable to soda. Source: "Bubbling
Over: Soda Consumption and Its Link to Obesity in California" by UCLA
Center for Health Policy Research and the California Center for Public
Health Advocacy
E-mail Heather Knight at hknight@sfchronicle.com. ----------------------------------------------------------------------
Copyright 2009 SF Chronicle
Newsom wants to charge stores that sell sodas
Heather Knight, Chronicle Staff Writer
(09-17) 20:36 PDT -- Calling soda the new tobacco, San Francisco Mayor
Gavin Newsom will introduce legislation this fall that would charge a fee
to retailers that sell sugary beverages.
Newsom would need voter approval to tax individual cans of soda and sugary
juice, but only needs approval from the Board of Supervisors to levy a fee
on retailers. His legislation would charge grocery stores like Safeway and
big-box stores, but would not affect restaurants that serve sodas.
Newsom wouldn't say how much the stores would have to pay or how the city
would spend the fees. When he first floated the idea in 2007, he said the
money would go to his Shape Up San Francisco exercise program and for
media campaigns to discourage soda drinking.
The mayor said the city attorney's office has warned him the city would
probably be sued over the matter, but he said it is worth the risk to try
to curb a leading cause of obesity and diabetes.
"We know we'll be sued," he said. "But I really believe this is important
to do."
Newsom said he was particularly motivated to move forward with the
legislation by Thursday's release of a UCLA study showing a link between
soda and obesity in California. Researchers found that adults who drink at
least one soft drink a day are 27 percent more likely to be obese than
those who don't - and that soda consumption is fueling the state's $41
billion annual obesity problem.
The study also found that 41 percent of children and 62 percent of teens
drink at least one soda daily.
"Soda is cheap, sweet and irresistibly marketed to teens," said Susan
Babey, the study's lead author. "Not enough teens know about the health
and dietary risks of drinking huge quantities of what is essentially
liquid sugar." San Francisco would be the first city in the country to
levy a fee on soda if, as expected, it is approved by the board. A handful
of states, including Arkansas and Missouri, tax sodas, and California has
considered the idea in the past. A soda tax has also come up in the
national debate about health care reform as one way to help pay to insure
more people. Industry's fight
The American Beverage Association has consistently fought attempts to
implement soda taxes, and on Thursday released a statement combatting
UCLA's study.
It read in part, "If our goal is to address obesity, then educating
consumers about the importance of balancing calories consumed from all
foods and beverages with the calories expended through physical activity
is what matters - not demonizing any one particular food." Health
legislation
In San Francisco, a soda tax would be just the most recent example of a
long line of legislation intended to improve residents' health - a pattern
some residents have complained smacks of a nanny state.
In recent years, city officials have banned the sale of cigarettes in
pharmacies, added a fee to packs of cigarettes, required chain restaurants
to display calories and fat content on menus, and created a program to
recognize restaurants that don't serve trans fats.
Jim Lazarus, vice president of the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce, said
the group opposes the soda tax.
"Does this mean there's a fee on candy bars, on ice cream, on potato
chips?" he asked. "Where do you draw the line?"
He added that a small fee - likely to be passed on from the retailer to
the consumer - wouldn't be enough to dramatically change people's habits,
leading him to believe it's meant to be just another revenue source for
the city.
Mitch Katz, director of the city's Department of Public Health, said a
study conducted over the past nine months shows a clear link between soda
consumption and an increased burden on the public health system. He did
not have a total dollar figure. Just a first step
He said he considers a soda fee an incremental step, and that other sugary
foods could someday have a surcharge as well.
"It makes sense for the government to help people to make the right
choices, and it makes sense to use dollars from charges on sweetened
beverages on health programs," he said. Soda and obesity
A new UCLA study examined sugary drinks and their effect on state spending
and consumers' health.
$41 billion Amount spent treating obesity in California each year.
41 percent Kids ages 2-11 who drink at least one soda every day.
62 percent Adolescents 12-17 who drink at least one soda every day.
39 pounds Amount of sugar consumed over one year if you drink one soda a
day.
17 teaspoons Amount of sugar in a 20-ounce serving of soda.
278 calories Increased number Americans consume each day compared with 30
years ago.
43 percent Share of new calories attributable to soda. Source: "Bubbling
Over: Soda Consumption and Its Link to Obesity in California" by UCLA
Center for Health Policy Research and the California Center for Public
Health Advocacy
E-mail Heather Knight at hknight@sfchronicle.com. ----------------------------------------------------------------------
Copyright 2009 SF Chronicle
Tags: Obesity, advocacy, awareness., education
Replies to This Discussion
-
Permalink Reply by Paul Murphy on -
(NaturalNews) Much like Big Tobacco once did with nicotine, the soda industry and high-fructose corn syrup producers of America have maintained a ridiculous state of flat-out denial about the links between soda consumption and obesity. "Sodas don't make you fat," they insist. Meanwhile, as Americans guzzle down insanely large quantities of soda and liquid sugar with each passing year, rates of obesity and diabetes continue to steadily climb. Surely diet must have something to do with it, right?
Thanks to a new California study, soda companies can no longer hide behind the defense of uncertainty when it comes to links between soda consumption and obesity. This massive study questioned the soda consumption habits of 43,000 adults and 4,000 adolescents and concluded this: Drinking one or more sodas a day increases your chances of obesity by 27 percent. A whopping 62% of adults who drink at least one soda each day are overweight or obese.
The study also found that Californians are gulping down sodas at an unprecedented rate: At least one soda is consumed daily by 41 percent of children, 62 percent of adolescents and 24 percent of adults. Through the study, another shocking statistic was revealed: The average California teen consumes 39 pounds of liquid sugar a year solely from soda consumption.
Sadly, the study didn't look at rates of diabetes and bone loss -- the phosphoric acid in sodas causes osteoporosis, even in males -- but there's little doubt that a similar correlation exists between soda consumption and those diseases, too. The whole issue of aspartame and diet sodas also wasn't looked at in this study, but that's yet another important area of investigation that will probably be delayed for many years until the number of people drinking diet soda who get diagnosed with brain cancer can no longer be denied.
We've been warning about this for years
The interesting thing about all this is that the champions of natural health have been warning society about this for years. Whether you're talking about myself and NaturalNews, or Dr. Julian Whitaker, or even going back to Weston Price, we've all been shouting about the dangers of widespread cola consumption long before it appeared on the radar of mainstream consciousness.
Now, in the thick of a disastrous epidemic of obesity and diabetes, more mainstream health authorities are finally starting to put the pieces together and realize just how bad sodas are for public health. There's now no question about it: When soda consumption goes up, so do rates of obesity. And with higher obesity rates, you automatically get greatly increased rates of diabetes, cancer, heart disease, depression and other diseases that are very expensive to treat.
Ultimately, that means that soda consumption greatly increases the health care costs of any nation, because higher soda consumption leads to higher rates of diseases that are expensive to treat. I'm guessing that for every dollar a consumer spends on soda, another dollar's worth of long-term health care cost is created at the same time. Except those costs are paid directly by the consumer; they're paid by the taxpayers and health insurance customers.
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