Tag: SSB

  • California SSB Label Shelved

    A California Senate bill (S.B. 1000) that would require warning labels on sodas and other sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) was put on hold April 28, 2014, over concerns about enforcement costs of the legislation. In a 6-0 vote, the Senate Appropriations Committee referred the bill to its suspense file, which means it will be reconsidered after…

  • French Senate Report Calls for Junk-Food Tax

    A French Senate committee has issued a report, “Taxation and Public Health: Evaluation of Behavioral Taxation,” urging lawmakers to implement a “behavioral tax” to counteract poor dietary habits and help cover health care expenditures associated with consumption of “unhealthy” foods. While emphasizing the need for a sugar-sweetened beverage tax, the report also advocates harmonizing tax…

  • Impact of SSB Taxes on Employment Disputed in New Study

    Researchers with the University of Illinois, Chicago, Institute for Health Research and Policy have published a study allegedly concluding that, contrary to industry claims, sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) taxes “do not have a negative impact on state-level employment.” Lisa Powell, et al., “Employment Impact of Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Taxes,” American Journal of Public Health, February 2014. Using a…

  • Katy Steinmetz, “Soda Wars Bubble Up Across the Country,” Time, Feb. 20, 2014

    “Soda and other sugary drinks are popping up on city and state dockets across the nation, as lawmakers attempt to curb America’s consumption of certain beverages,” writes Time reporter Katy Steinmetz in this February 20, 2014, article summarizing recent campaigns to limit sales of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) and energy drinks while raising revenue for government-backed…

  • Advocate Calls for Add-Ons to Sugary Beverage Taxes

    Drawing on lessons from tobacco regulation, Temple University Associate Professor Jennifer Pomeranz has authored an article recommending that state and local governments which opt to impose taxes on sugary beverages consider also adopting measures such as minimum price laws and prohibitions on price discounting and coupons to effectively deter consumption. Titled “Sugary Tax Policy: Lessons…

  • California Introduces Warning Label Legislation for Soft Drinks

    California State Senator Bill Monning (D-Carmel) has introduced legislation (SB 1000) that would require all sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) containing more than 75 calories per 12-ounce serving to carry safety warnings. Co-sponsored by the California Center for Public Health Advocacy, the Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Safety Warning Act would direct manufacturers, distributors and retailers to place the following…

  • WHO World Cancer Report Targets Diet and Nutrition

    The World Health Organization’s (WHO’s) International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) last week published its World Cancer Report 2014, a collaborative effort providing “a professional, multidisciplinary assessment of all aspects of the geographical distribution, biology, etiology, prevention, and control of cancer.” In addition to a chapter on cancer etiology as it relates to diet,…

  • Navajo Nation Council Approves “Junk” Food Tax

    According to news sources, the Navajo Nation Council has approved legislation that would impose a 2-percent increase in sales taxes on so-called junk food, which, if approved by Navajo Nation President Ben Shelly, would make it the first Native American-governed territory to do so. The council also passed legislation eliminating a 5 percent sales tax…