New York University Nutrition Professor Marion Nestle will join other speakers at Cornell University’s “Festschrift in Honor of Per Pinstrup-Andersen: New Directions in the Fight Against Hunger and Malnutrition,” slated for December 13-14, 2013, in Ithaca, New York. She and Cornell’s Malden Nesheim will present their paper, “The Internationalization of the Obesity Epidemic: The Case of Sugar Sweetened Sodas.” Contending that obesity rates have increased in tandem with the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) and that “many researchers are confident that the evidence justifies public health efforts to reduce children’s soda intake,” the co-authors report that efforts are underway globally to curtail SSB consumption despite pushback and purportedly aggressive foreign-marketing campaigns by U.S. SSB companies. Those efforts include taxes on SSBs, restrictions on marketing them in schools, advocacy, and education.
Tag Archives SSB
A recent study funded by the National Cancer Institute has allegedly linked higher intakes of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) to an increased risk of type I endometrial cancer. Maki Inoue-Choi, et al., “Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Intake and the Risk of Type I and Type II Endometrial Cancer among Postmenopausal Women,” Cancer, Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, December 2013. After evaluating the dietary intake of 23,039 postmenopausal women enrolled in the Iowa Women’s Health Study, University of Minnesota researchers apparently found that compared with women who did not consume SSBs, those in the highest quintile of SSB intake had a 78 percent increased risk of developing type I endometrial cancer while those who reported at least some SSB consumption had “a statistically significant 47 [percent] higher risk.” The study’s authors also noted in a December 4, 2013, press release that “previous studies have shown increasing consumption of sugar sweetened beverages has paralleled the increase…
San Francisco Supervisor Eric Mar has reportedly unveiled a proposal for a tax on sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) similar to one released in late October by Supervisor Scott Weiner. Both proposals target SSB distributors, both impose a 2-cents-per-ounce tax and both reportedly expect to raise $30 million annually to fund health and nutrition programs to combat diabetes and other health issues allegedly associated with consumption of soft drinks, energy drinks and other SSBs. According to a news source, Weiner and two other supervisors are co-sponsoring Mar’s legislation, but Mar said all four supervisors will work together to combine both proposals into one piece of legislation that they plan to put before voters in November 2014. See SFGate.com, November 22, 2013.
Voters in Telluride, Colorado, have rejected a proposed 1-cent-per-ounce tax on sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) in a 683-313 vote. Proceeds from the tax would have reportedly funded youth health initiatives. According to a media source, “Kick the Can Telluride” was “by far the most controversial question” on the ballot, attracting outside interest from philanthropists and industry lobbying groups bankrolling campaigns for and against the ballot question. Additional details about the Telluride SSB tax campaign appear in Issue 500 of this Update. See Politico.com, November 6, 2013; WatchNewspapers.com, November 7, 2013.
Mexican lawmakers have reportedly approved a 1 peso-per-liter tax (US 23 cents) on sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) and an 8 percent tax on junk food. The controversial legislation, which aims to curb rising obesity levels, was approved in a 73-50 vote and is expected to take effect January 1, 2014. According to news sources, Mexico, whose obesity and diabetes rates surpass those of the United States, will be the first major market to tax SSBs, following a handful of other Latin American and European countries. Mexicans reportedly consume more than 700 8-ounce servings of SSBs annually. More details about the legislation appear in Issue 501 of this Update.
Mexico’s lower house has reportedly approved a new fiscal package that would, among other things, tax high-calorie foods—such as chocolate, sweets, pudding, potato chips, and ice cream. The new tax, which complements a planned charge on sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) discussed in Issue 497 of this Update, is part of a broader package proposed by President Enrique Peña and is expected to pass in the Senate by the end of the October. According to news sources, the proposed legislation would tax high-calorie foods—defined as those providing 275 calories or more per 100 grams—at 5 percent of the ticketed price and chewing gum at 16 percent. The price of soft drinks would increase by about 8 cents per liter. The move is supported by health experts who note that Mexico has one of the world’s highest rates of obesity, reportedly surpassing the United States, and who applauded higher prices for chips, candy and…
U.S. Reps. Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.), John Conyers (D-Mich.) and Lucille Roybal Allard (D-Calif.) have circulated a request to their colleagues that they join a letter to Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Margaret Hamburg asking that the agency take action on two citizen petitions, pending before the agency for some eight years, seeking a rule that sugary beverages “carry a rotating series of health messages on their labels in order to educate consumers on the health risks of sugar overconsumption.” The first petition was filed in 2005 by the Center for Science in the Public Interest. See “Ask the FDA to Review Petitions on Sugary Beverages,” October 22, 2013.
According to a news source, the New York Court of Appeals, the state’s highest court, has agreed to hear New York City’s appeal of a decision striking down a board of health rule that would have imposed caps on the size of sugar-sweetened beverages sold at certain venues. Details about the intermediate appellate court opinion affirming a lower court’s invalidation of the rule under separation-of-powers principles appear in Issue 492 of this Update. Mayor Michael Bloomberg responded to the court’s ruling by stating, “The related epidemics of obesity and diabetes are killing at least 5,000 New Yorkers a year and striking hardest in black and Latino communities and low-income neighborhoods. New York City’s portion cap rule would help save lives, and we are confident the appeals court will uphold the Board of Health’s rule.” The case is expected to be argued after January 1, 2014. See Law360, October 17, 2013.…
According to media sources, the campaigns for and against a proposed 1-cent per ounce excise tax on all sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) sold in Telluride, Colorado, have stepped up their efforts in advance of November voting. Primarily funded by a Houston-based hedge fund, which donated $50,000 to the cause, “Kick the Can Telluride” has reportedly taken its lead from similar campaigns in El Monte, California, and Richmond, Virginia, and urged local voters to back ballot measure 2A, claiming that the estimated annual revenues of $200,000 would support youth health initiatives now funded by three-year U.S. Department of Education Physical Education Program grants. “If passed, the measure would be the first town-level excise tax on sugar-sweetened beverages in the United States,” reports The (Telluride) Watch in an October 16, 2013, article about the debate. Meanwhile, the Colorado Beverage Association has apparently joined with local business owners in countering the proposal with its…
San Francisco Supervisor Eric Mar has reportedly requested a study from the Budget and Legislative Analyst’s office analyzing the impact of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) on Bay Area residents’ health and health care costs, as well as summarizing what initiatives other U.S. cities have taken to reduce consumption of soft drinks, sweet teas and sports drinks. After the study is completed, the board of supervisors will hold a hearing on the findings. See San Francisco Examiner, September 27, 2013.
