NYC Health Department Unveils New Anti-Soft Drink Campaign

The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene has unveiled
the latest installment of its “Pouring on the Pounds” campaign that describes
“how drinking just one 20-ounce soda a day translates to eating 50 pounds of
sugar a year.” According to an October 24, 2011, press release, the 30-second
TV commercial aims to serve as “a stark reminder to New Yorkers about how
sugary drinks can lead to obesity, which can cause diabetes, heart disease,
stroke, arthritis and some cancers.” It will be supplemented by bilingual
subway ads demonstrating how far a 160-pound person would need to walk
at 3.5 miles per hour to burn off the calories from one sugary beverage.

“The majority of New York City adults are now overweight or obese, as are 4 in 10 elementary school children and the health consequences are staggering,” said New York City Health Commissioner Thomas Farley. “Sugary drinks are the largest single source of added sugar in the diet, and a child’s risk of obesity increases with every additional daily serving of a sugary drink.”