Tag: SSB
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Hawaii Health Department Encourages Less Consumption of Sugary Beverages
The Hawaii State Department of Health (DOH) has launched a public awareness effort advocating consumption of beverages containing less sugar. The “Don’t Drink Yourself Fat” campaign is reportedly part of a $3.4 million federal grant for Kauai and Maui District Health Offices’ Communities Putting Prevention to Work initiative. “Research points to the strong correlation between…
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New Rudd Center Study Backs Soft Drink Tax
Yale University’s Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity has released a new study claiming that “a penny per ounce” tax on sugar sweetened beverages “has the potential to reduce consumption and generate significant revenue.” Tatiana Andreyeva, et al., “Estimating the potential of taxes on sugar-sweetened beverages to reduce consumption and generate revenue,” Preventive Medicine, April…
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New York City Defends Plan to End Soda Purchases Under SNAP
According to an April 29, 2011, New York Times article, a plan to regulate purchases under the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) continues to gain steam in New York City, where officials recently asked the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to approve a two-year pilot project prohibiting the use of food stamps to buy…
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Proposed California Beverage Tax Falls Flat
A proposed California bill (A.B. 669) that would have levied a state tax on sweetened beverages has reportedly died in a legislative committee. Sponsored by Assembly Member Bill Monning (D-Carmel), the proposed tax of 1 cent per fluid ounce on soft drinks, energy drinks, sweet teas, and other sugary beverages would have raised an estimated…
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Boston Mayor Gets Tough on Sweetened Beverages
Boston Mayor Thomas Menino (D) has issued an order that will require all city departments to take steps to stop “the sale, advertising, and promotion of sugary beverages on City-owned property.” The mayor is apparently concerned about setting an example in a community with high obesity rates that he attributes in part to the consumption…
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Soft Drink Consumption Allegedly Associated with Increased Blood Pressure
U.K. researchers have reportedly linked sugar-sweetened beverages to a risk of high blood pressure, speculating that “one possible mechanism” for the association “is a resultant increase in the level of uric acid in the blood that may in turn lower the nitric oxide required to keep the blood vessels dilated.” Ian Brown, et al., “Sugar-Sweetened…
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Massachusetts Health Regulators Move to Limit Junk Food in Public Schools
Massachusetts public health regulators have reportedly approved proposed rules that would prohibit public schools from selling sweetened soft drinks, salty and calorie-laden packaged snacks, and white bread sandwiches as a way to combat childhood obesity. Effective in the 2012-13 school year, the proposed regulations need the approval of the state’s Public Health Council, which is…
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NYC Health Department Airs Controversial Ad Campaign
The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene has announced a new advertising campaign designed “to educate New Yorkers about the potentially serious health effects of consuming sugary drinks.” With the tagline “Pouring on the Pounds,” the health department’s latest installment features subway advertisements and a new TV commercial, the latter of which…