War on Soft Drinks Bubbles out of Schools

(CBS)  When former President Bill Clinton enlisted the beverage industries in fighting childhood obesity, he did not expect so much progress in just four years.

"I have to admit I'm stunned by the results," Clinton said. "There has been an 88 percent reduction in the total beveraged calories shipped to schools."

CBS News correspondent Michelle Miller report the industry is now selling healthier - instead of high calorie - drinks to students. Still not good enough, say public health officials.

Alliance for a Healthier Generation

A growing number of cities and states want to reduce adult consumption of sugary drinks by taxing them. New York has revived a proposal to impose a penny per ounce tax on sweetened beverages. Colorado has already levied such as tax. So has Illinois. California is considering it.

"People will often ask, 'why pick on sugared beverages,'" said Kelly D. Brownell of the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity. "The science linking sugared beverages to negative health outcomes is very strong."

A penny per ounce tax on sugared beverages would mean that a two liter bottle of Coke would cost you 68 cents more.

Three-quarters of New Yorkers polled recently support the soda tax. But while the industry agreed to slash shipments of sugary drinks to schools, it is fighting a beverage tax.

"It wouldn't work if it's supposed to solve a complicated problem like obesity," said Susan Neelyof the American Beverage Association. "The tax is not going to change behaviors."

A study released Mondaysuggests it would, claiming an 18 percent price increase on soda would lead people to trim 56 calories from a daily diet. That's a five pound weight loss over a year.

Read the Report

New York's mayor estimates a tax would raise $1 billion -- suggesting what's good for the waist line could be good for the bottom line.

[nineten80snore]

Here is an epic FAIL link to a commercial by the Soda Ad Council. They show a super market in the Bronx that will be effected by the new tax, but look at all the crap that this woman is buying with her soda! this needs to be about nutrition education and not a penny per bottle on sugar water

http://nineteen80snore.com/2010/03/15/no-taxation-without-carbonation/

[lami987]

Tax on pop is a good idea and will be successful. Taxing cigarette has significantly reduce smoking. If we want to have government or anyone else out of our lives then we better behave. We after all are members of a society cannot be completely separated from others. There are lots and lots of other things not as clearly defined though, take sporting events for example, there are only a limited numbers of players who really do the sport but there are thousands upon thousands who just sit and watch, some even snack. I have no doubt watching too much sporting events will make us obese. Unfortunately Americans like to watch more than do sport. I wonder if there is any observation done on increased obesity and numbers of sporting event broadcasts on TV.

[Yunabanger]

Hey lami987, what kind of an American are you? To keep the government out of our lives we need to do what they say?! They will never get out of our lives because they will always want that level of control, to "make sure we are doing what we are told." What did President Obama say in China? Something about respecting basic human rights? Taxing soda is a great way to make people lose weight? You can tell people to eat healthy, but they must make the decision to change. Taxing soda or any other consumable makes them too expensive to afford, and doing what the government says without question infringes on the Freedom Of Choice. As I said before, long live the U.S.S.A.

[TJRass]

This is ridiculous! I can't believe the soda industry. Shame on them!
They are congratulating themselves for their "voluntary" efforts to control sale of their sodas on school campuses. What a bunch of hypocrites. Advocates all over the nation busted their bums to pry Coke out of schools, with their legion of lawyers, lobbyists and politicians screaming and fighting every step of the way. And now, with laws in place banning their empty calories from schools, they pretend it was their idea.

To see the TRUTH, go to YouTube and type "Soda's Spin."

[Yunabanger]

Tax on soda is a great idea, if you were from communist Russia or Hitler's Germany. How can THIS government place such an importance on history in schools when they ignore it so often? For those who don't know what I am saying, this nation's Founding Fathers left British rule for several reasons, one big one is taxes. Look at us now, we are WORSE than they were. Tax everything, why? Money. The government does not care about people eating healthy, they want money to line their pockets, or waste it on what THEY want to spend it on. It is my opinion that if the tax on soda is passed, we should flush the Declaration Of Independence, the Bill Of Rights, burn the American flag and go to British rule. People in China once said that the United States should be a communist nation, and people disagreed with that. The government does not like communism, but they do like the benefits of it. Pass whatever laws they want without informing the people, without voting, and if you talk against the government, they discredit you or label you as a terrorist. Sounds great, doesn't it? Oh wait, we are already there. The government just calls it Legislation and national security. Long live the U.S.S.A!

[ThomasJeffersonLives]

Folks, wake up and see the connection between Food Nazism and Government-Run Healthcare. The slippery slope of socialized medicine will eventually come to the point where the Government HAS TO CARE about what you do to your body - if not just to lower the expense of healthcare. Think about it - the NANNY STATE has tried to either prohibit what we do our bodies (through various freedom-reducing laws) or at least tax our behavior. Can you imagine if they get control of the healthcare system?

[ThomasJeffersonLives]

In fact, maybe the socialists will realize taxing our behavior will be a way to pay for Government-run Healthcare?

[jxknowles]

If you really want your soda without taxes, buy a bag of sugar, carbonated water and stir. Oops, fogot about the food coloring and opiate additive.

[thebob-bob]

BPA leaches out of plastic bottles containing acidic liquids (carbonated drinks). BPA induces the differentiation of cells into fat cells. Fat cells convert sugar into stored fat. So.. feed kids carbonated, high sugar drinks in BPA-leaching plastic bottles and you create more cells needed to store the excess sugar. Vicious cycle.

[rf35]

Rather than a tax on sugar soft drinks, fatty food, or junk food of any kind, how about a calorie tax. Yep, tax food based on the calories. Make sure the calorie tax applied to fast food outlets, too. This is how you fight obesity...make the foods that are the most responsible too expensive for the fatties to afford. After all, it's not the type of food or drink you consume, it's the calories in vs. calories out. Generally speaking, the foods with the most calories are usually also are worst for you overall with lowest nutritional value.

Diet soda would be exempt from this tax (no calories, no tax). It's now the only type of soda I drink and I lost weight when I made the switch.

[Justme8811]

I WILL drink my soda anytime I want, if they tax it I WILL buy less of everything else! Stay the H out of our lives! This a free country last time I checked, not that Barry isn't doing all he can to change that!

[AttentionDeficit]

this has not been a "free country" since prohibition took hold, no matter what party is in the white house

[barcar55]

Sodas is not the problem. The problem is poor diet and lack of exercise. School lunches now days are terrible. They are high in fat and sodium. Forty years ago we had a real meal for lunch, not something frozen or equivalent to fast food. Kids sit and watch hours of tv or video games. When I was growing up it was a rare thing to see a fat child. We stayed outside and played non-stop all day. We didn't have junk food to eat in the cabinets or frig when we wanted. We drank water. Kids also didn't have ADD and other behavior problems you see so rampantly today.

Also, it is the parent who gives that child the money to buy that soda at school. Parents are responsible, not the soda.