California Municipal Lawmakers Continue to Target Soft Drink Consumption

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors has unanimously passed three proposals aimed at reducing the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) in the San Francisco Bay Area. The first, legislation introduced by Supervisor Scott Wiener, would mandate warnings on most billboards and advertisements for SSBs with 25 or more calories. Text of the warning would read: “Drinking beverages with added sugar(s) contributes to obesity, diabetes, and tooth decay. This is a message from the City and County of San Francisco.”

“We know health warnings work,” Wiener was quoted as saying. “They worked with cigarettes and they’ll work here.”

The other two proposals would (i) prohibit advertisements for SSBs on city-owned property and (ii) prevent city departments and contractors from using city funds to purchase SSBs. All three pieces of legislation must pass another vote by the board and be approved by the mayor before they are enacted. See The Wall Street Journal and Press Release of Supervisor Scott Wiener, June 9, 2015; Associated Press, June 10, 2015.

Issue 568