Post by Halloween King on Mar 11, 2013 15:43:23 GMT -5
www.nbcnews.com/business/judge-tosses-out-nycs-planned-ban-sugary-drinks-1C8809186
Judge tosses out NYC's planned ban on sugary drinks
How sweet it is -- for sugar-lovers anyway.
A judge on Monday invalidated New York City's plan to ban large sugary drinks from restaurants, movie theaters and other establishments, one day before the new law was to take effect.
State Supreme Court Justice Milton Tingling in Manhattan ruled the new regulation was "arbitrary and capricious" and declared it invalid, after the American Beverage Association and other business groups had sued the city challenging the ban.
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New York City is "enjoined and permanently restrained from implementing or enforcing the new regulations," Tingling ruled.
The decision was a blow to Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who had touted the ban as a way to address what he has termed an obesity "epidemic." But beverage manufacturers and business groups had called the law an illegal overreach that would infringe upon consumers' personal liberty.
After the judge's ruling, Bloomberg went to Twitter to respond:
"We believe @nychealthy [NYC Health Dept.] as the legal authority and responsibility to tackle causes of the obesity epidemic, which kills 5,000 NYers a year."
Bloomberg also said the city plans to appeal the decision as soon as possible. "We are confident the measure will ultimately be upheld," he wrote.
The American Beverage Association released this statement following the ruling:
“The court ruling provides a sigh of relief to New Yorkers and thousands of small businesses in New York City that would have been harmed by this arbitrary and unpopular ban. With this ruling behind us, we look forward to collaborating with city leaders on solutions that will have a meaningful and lasting impact on the people of New York City.”
The ban would have prohibited the city's food-service businesses from selling sugary drinks larger than 16 ounces, though city officials had said they would not begin imposing $200 fines on offending businesses until June.
Bloomberg has made improving the health of New Yorkers part of his legacy. The soda ban had followed similar crackdowns on fat, sugar and salt and a smoking ban that has been replicated around the world.
In anticipation of the soda ban, Bloomberg on Monday released new data tying sugary drinks to the city's fattest neighborhoods. The new city study showed nine of the neighborhoods with the 10 highest obesity rates were also the highest in sugary drink consumption. At the other end, the three least obese neighborhoods were also the lowest in sugary drink consumption.
Companies like Coca-Cola, PepsiCo and McDonald's Corp had argued that the ban was inconsistent in its application, since it would still permit grocery and convenience stores to sell the drinks in any size.
I dont live in New York, thank god, but I was all against this Ban. Seeing it defeated makes me happy because hopefully this will be a lesson to other hippy diet loving politicians to stop trying to force there drinking habits on the masses.
One of my guilty pleasures is stopping buy a 7-11 or any truck stop with fountin drinks and getting the biggest size drink available.
Judge tosses out NYC's planned ban on sugary drinks
How sweet it is -- for sugar-lovers anyway.
A judge on Monday invalidated New York City's plan to ban large sugary drinks from restaurants, movie theaters and other establishments, one day before the new law was to take effect.
State Supreme Court Justice Milton Tingling in Manhattan ruled the new regulation was "arbitrary and capricious" and declared it invalid, after the American Beverage Association and other business groups had sued the city challenging the ban.
Advertise | AdChoices
New York City is "enjoined and permanently restrained from implementing or enforcing the new regulations," Tingling ruled.
The decision was a blow to Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who had touted the ban as a way to address what he has termed an obesity "epidemic." But beverage manufacturers and business groups had called the law an illegal overreach that would infringe upon consumers' personal liberty.
After the judge's ruling, Bloomberg went to Twitter to respond:
"We believe @nychealthy [NYC Health Dept.] as the legal authority and responsibility to tackle causes of the obesity epidemic, which kills 5,000 NYers a year."
Bloomberg also said the city plans to appeal the decision as soon as possible. "We are confident the measure will ultimately be upheld," he wrote.
The American Beverage Association released this statement following the ruling:
“The court ruling provides a sigh of relief to New Yorkers and thousands of small businesses in New York City that would have been harmed by this arbitrary and unpopular ban. With this ruling behind us, we look forward to collaborating with city leaders on solutions that will have a meaningful and lasting impact on the people of New York City.”
The ban would have prohibited the city's food-service businesses from selling sugary drinks larger than 16 ounces, though city officials had said they would not begin imposing $200 fines on offending businesses until June.
Bloomberg has made improving the health of New Yorkers part of his legacy. The soda ban had followed similar crackdowns on fat, sugar and salt and a smoking ban that has been replicated around the world.
In anticipation of the soda ban, Bloomberg on Monday released new data tying sugary drinks to the city's fattest neighborhoods. The new city study showed nine of the neighborhoods with the 10 highest obesity rates were also the highest in sugary drink consumption. At the other end, the three least obese neighborhoods were also the lowest in sugary drink consumption.
Companies like Coca-Cola, PepsiCo and McDonald's Corp had argued that the ban was inconsistent in its application, since it would still permit grocery and convenience stores to sell the drinks in any size.
I dont live in New York, thank god, but I was all against this Ban. Seeing it defeated makes me happy because hopefully this will be a lesson to other hippy diet loving politicians to stop trying to force there drinking habits on the masses.
One of my guilty pleasures is stopping buy a 7-11 or any truck stop with fountin drinks and getting the biggest size drink available.