Soda Alerts In Public

Do you think warning labels on food will convince people to change what they eat and drink? Well, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors voted unanimously on June 9th to approve health warnings on ads for sodas and some other sugary beverages, like energy drinks, vitamin waters and iced teas, that would say they contribute to obesity, diabetes and tooth decay! It wouldn't apply to milk or 100 percent fruit and vegetable drinks. If the supervisors okay it again next week, and the mayor doesn't veto it, it's believed the California city will be the first in the country to require sugary drink ad warnings. The warning would have to appear on ads on billboards, walls, taxis and buses, but it wouldn't apply to ads in newspapers, on the Internet or that are broadcast, and there wouldn't be any warnings on the cans or bottles.

Along the same lines, but with salt instead of sugar, New York City Health Department officials want to require chain restaurant menus to have warnings about high sodium content, which would also be a U.S. first. They want a salt shaker symbol to appear for menu items that contain more than the recommended daily limit of 2,300 milligrams of sodium, which is about one teaspoon of salt. An average American consumes about 1,000 mg of sodium more than that each day, some 3,300 mg, with about 75 percent of that coming from prepared or processed restaurant foods. What do you think of New York City wanting to require chain restaurants to put warnings on their menus next to high-sodium foods?

Do you support the San Francisco Supervisors approving a health warning for sugary drink ads in public places?