USA - Campaign against soda advances

Local politician’s campaign against soda advances 

Posted: 9:33 am, April 12, 2014 by Scott Brennan

Safety warning labels on sodas and other sugar-sweetened beverages sold in California came a step closer to reality today when the Senate Committee on Health approved Senate Bill SB1000 on a 5-2 vote. The first-in-nation legislation was introduced by Paso Robles’ representative to the California Senate, State Senator Bill Monning, D-Carmel, to ensure that all Californians are aware of the link between sugary drink consumption and the exploding rates of diabetes and obesity.
“Consumers have a right to know about the adverse health effects of frequent sugary drink consumption,” stated Senator Monning. “SB 1000 does exactly what the beverage industry has long said we should do – educate the public – and this is the appropriate public health response to the scientifically proven risks that liquid sugar poses to the public’s health. The bill is a common sense measure that is overwhelmingly supported by the public.”

If enacted, SB 1000 would place a warning on the front of all beverage containers with added sweeteners that have 75 or more calories per 12 ounces. The label, developed by a national panel of nutrition and public health experts, would read: STATE OF CALIFORNIA SAFETY WARNING: Drinking beverages with added sugar contributes to obesity, diabetes, and tooth decay.

Research shows that a soda or two a day increases the risk of preventable diabetes by 26 percent. Sugary drinks are also the single largest contributor of added calories in the American diet, responsible for 43 percent of the additional calories consumed over the last 30 years. Drinking just one soda a day increases an adult’s likelihood of being overweight by 27 percent and a child’s by 55 percent......