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Boston's long-time mayor, Thomas M. Menino just made quenching the thirst of city-workers that much harder. According to The Boston Globe, Menino issued an executive order to phase out sugary drinks from all city property in an effort to curb rising obesity rates. So long non-diet sodas. Adios sweet tea. Arrivederci you sexy sports drinks, you.
City departments have six months to phase out the sinister sugary beverages in cafeterias, vending machines, concession stands and during city-run meetings. And just in case parched public workers aren't quite sure what constitutes a healthy beverage, the Boston Public Health Commission is applying the familiar red, yellow and green labels to drinks, and reinforced by nearby posters that say, "Stop. Rethink Your Drink. Go On Green."
According to a release from the Mayor's office, "red" beverages include non-diet sodas, sweetened ice teas, sports drinks, etc. Diet sodas and diet iced teas, 100 percent fruit juices and low calorie sports drinks qualify as "yellow" beverages, while "green" drinks mean bottled water, low fat milk or unsweetened soy milk. Mmmm. Unsweetened soy milk -- yum.
Boston's not alone in trying to combat obesity through mandated choices. Cities like San Francisco, San Antonio, Los Angeles County and New York City have also set standards to limit or prohibit the sale or distribution of unhealthy food -- including sugary drinks.
There's some proof this type of food policing works. Two years after the Boston Public Schools removed soda and unhealthy snacks from vending machines, data showed that overall consumption of sugary drinks decreased significantly.
Dr. Barbara Ferrer, executive director of the Boston Public Health Commission, said in the long term, the policy will decrease healthcare costs for Boston and will positively impact productivity.
Soda and other sugar-sweetened beverages account for up to 10 percent of total calories consumed in the U.S. diet, and are known to be major contributors to obesity. According to Ferrer's office, about 63 percent of black adults, 51 percent of Latino adults and 49 percent of white adult Boston residents are considered overweight or obese. What it boils down to is health care costs.
"Economists estimate that medical costs for an obese patient are about 42 percent higher a year than for a patient with a healthy weight," said Dr. Ferrer in the city's press release.
Which makes us wonder what's next? A ban on smokeless tobacco at Fenway? Doh! Wait...
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4-09-2011 @2:52PM Louis said... Another stupid idea from a politician trying to justify his job. Doesn't this country have enough problems to worry about except bullying the obese?
Let's get our asses out of the Middle East, get our economy off its knees, create jobs, and keep our homes instead of diverting our attention by focussing on the obese and making their lives even more difficult.
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4-09-2011 @2:56PM Louis said... Sorry, BAAston, but your plan is full of BEANS! (Pun intended.)
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4-09-2011 @2:57PM Louis said... Sorry, BAAston, but your plan is full of BEANS! (Pun intended.)
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4-09-2011 @2:57PM claude said... i also forgot another thing.
the only reason that people are overwight in this country is the lack of movement. we no longer go out and hang with our friends we get on line we do every damm thing on line. let shut down the worlds largist shopping center make the internet what it was supposed to be a place to get information next thing you know we will email mac donalds to deliver a big mac beacause were to lazy to go pick one up. shut off the computer and get off your fat asses me too
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4-09-2011 @2:58PM Rob said... Wow. I thought San Francisco was the only "nanny city". Hey Boston, if you really want to be like Frisco then you gotta ban Happy Meals too.
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4-09-2011 @3:26PM Blonde Ambition said... If it makes a large group of people all the more healthier, why not? I don't like sweet tea, sports drinks or vitamin water, but do treat myself to an occasional soda (with or without caffeine). Being from the Chicago area, I absolutely HATE HATE HATE the term "pop" - it's downright provincial & coarse.
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4-09-2011 @3:09PM Pat said... Comrade Menino of the socialist city of Boston, gets to dictate what people can drink! Enough is enough already. We need to kick out all these socialists & retake our country. Who the hell died & made him dictator!
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4-09-2011 @3:14PM Max said... People have gone to far this time. Why not get rid of the local coffee shops as well. Oh wait you can't do that because people need to spend $5 bucks and up for their daily caffine fix. But not all of us drink coffee or tea.
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4-09-2011 @3:14PM PG said... Taking away one freedom at a time. Busy body do gooders with no life.
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4-09-2011 @10:22PM harold said... Tell Weenie Bonini, he is sounding like the Food Nazi's in the White House, When I come back to Boston, I will make it a point to visit a local police station,drinking my Pepsi, out of can. there is nothing we can do with the illiterate's in California, but you surely can initiate a recall petition in patriotic Boston and just so you know, San Antonio, is part of Mexico now.
4-09-2011 @3:27PM Gina said... Typical. Leave it to a politician to use a sledgehammer when a feather would do the job. Here's an idea, turn off the internet/ game systems for a 3 hour time period daily. Kids are to engage in physical activity. Bring PE back into the schools and require 4 years (in HS) participation. Lack of participation earns summer school PE.
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4-09-2011 @3:19PM Ben said... Higher health care cost for obesity or no soda machines. You decide.
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4-09-2011 @8:55PM Lisa said... If I am paying for my own health care then it's not your business!!!
4-09-2011 @3:22PM Gadfly said... Where are the "less government" people??? Do they all drink nothing but tea? What's with governments more interested in what we do or do not eat, drink, smoke or chew and more focused on controlling women's health care than promoting jobs for workers? What's with governments talking about Social Security as a charity rather than something workers have paid into all of their working lives? What's with my walking into a Social Security office and counting 64 people in line with only 12 of the 64 having grey hair while the rest are packing babies and looking for translators? Do we really have a democracy, or rule by the wealthy--a plutocracy? Government???
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4-09-2011 @3:31PM Tiara said... Government is going way to far. Taking soda away from us are you serious. isnt there more serious things he should be worring about and soda is made in america that is less revenue for us which means less jobs yay a higher unemployment rate ! This is starting to seem like a dictatorship all of our rights are being takin away and they are cutting all the programs that the poor really need to survive while tryin to lower taxes for the rich whats wrong with tthat picture its not right!!!! soda is fine any food is fine as long as you take it in moderation make healthier decisions and yes get out and move more why not have mandated workout days once a month or something instead of trying to mess up the economy even more hello how about we stop all this forieng aid and help our own people first thats a big chunk of our budget!!!!
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4-09-2011 @3:24PM Jeremy said... Anyone else in New England see the story behind this on the news? Essentially one city employee went on a diet and among other things cut out her soda intake; now she's all health-nazi about it. Nanny-state policies often seems to be brought about by nosy middle-aged women sticking their noses in other people's private lives. To which I say this: I'm an adult, I'm not your damn kid, stay out of my affairs and deal with your empty nest syndrome now that Skylar and Madison have gone off to college on your own time, not by trying to run other people's lives.
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4-09-2011 @9:16PM Mary said... I love the divide and conquer aspect of our government. They pit us against each other. Since the '60's our country has become less active, our food choices have become less healthy and more costly, and we've become a more intolerant nation. Our public schools and communities ask the right questions, but their solutions are more government control instead of common sense. A more simple, less restrictive solution would be to look at our society's lifestyle. More families have multi-wage earners, less time and energy to focus on healthier eating and increased activity, and are actually earning less when you look at the current buying power of the US dollar. Our government would rather control us and keep us blaming each other than looking at the real issues. Yes, more of us are are increasingly obese and less fit, but the problem is not as simple as banning certain beverages or telling people to just eat less. It may seem as if the ideas are well meaning, but look beyond the wizard people! Do some historical research and you will see the real problem. We should not be focusing just on those who are obese. Even those who appear to be slender and healthy may not be eating well or be as healthy as they appear. Stop focusing on the bits and pieces, but on the bigger picture. Work towards finding common ground and realize what is happening. If we don't wake up to government control, we will be going to our state run food distribution centers and having our earnings doled out according to what the government thinks we need.
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4-09-2011 @3:35PM ddan8719 said... We the goverment knows what is in you the peons best interest..we will make these decisions for you and you have no say so in these matters..as we are die hard left wing liberals who beleive the old way of doing things must be removed.As we shake our fist in the socialist demand..
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4-09-2011 @3:50PM Stella said... Banning soda sweetened with sugar is ludicrous. The turn this country has taken is recent years is frightening. We grew up using sugar and were feeling good and healthy. We also got plenty of exercise just by doing our daily activities. The problem now is that artificial sweeteners can and do make people deathly ill and these days both kids and adults sit in front of a computer . It's the inactivity and the chemical reactions of the body to artificial sweeteners that make people obese. The FDA should never have approved certain diet sweeteners. Now the government wants to dictate that everyone use diet products? This is vile and makes me want to scream.
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4-09-2011 @3:55PM pete said... first manny now this come on boston whats going on over there.p.s i know manny is longer affiliated with boston just had to throw that in
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