Cambridge Considering Ban On Sale Of Large Soda At Restaurants
CAMBRIDGE (CBS) - First, it was New York City. Now, the city of Cambridge is proposing a ban on the sale of super-sized sugary drinks in restaurants.
WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Karen Twomey reports.
Podcast
Mayor Henrietta Davis brought the idea to the city council's meeting Monday night, saying soda contributes to the obesity epidemic, as well as diabetes and heart disease in young people.
"It seems like the way we have to go is look at the environment, look at the temptations that are out there for people," Mayor Davis told WBZ NewsRadio 1030. "See if that can be easier on all of us by not having bottomless pits of soda."
Specifics of the proposed ban aren't yet fleshed out, but she said what she has in mind is similar to the ban being debated in New York City.
New York's ban would put a 16-ounce limit on any drinks that are more than 25 calories per eight ounces that are sold at restaurants, delis, and movie theaters.
The ban would not affect drinks sold at grocery stores and convenience stores.
That proposal is still in the hands of the board of health in New York.
Davis said she'll see what the city's public health department will recommend before she moves forward with specifics on Cambridge's plan.
"Banning smoking in the workplace, and banning smoking in playgrounds, all those kinds of things have been helpful to everyone," Mayor Davis told WBZ NewsRadio 1030. "All those things have been helpful with the kind of public health approach and environmental approach to increasing our health."
