Two years ago San Francisco, Calif. tried to put a two-cents-per-ounce tax on sugary beverages, the proposal failed at 54.4% of the vote falling short, now trying again the proposal looks at a penny per ounce tax with proceeds going towards health programs. The proposal for the new tax was set to be placed on the ballot last month, but signatures were turned into late, according to a recent article. A warning label law on the health risks associated with consumption of soda is still being considered in San Francisco as well. Advocates of these new efforts towards soda tax laws reveal the evidence to their communities and council members of the high amounts of sugar in many soda or sweet drinks, which have no nutritional value, are the leading causes of diabetes and obesity among ...
The City Council of Stockton, California (32.5% Latino) has unanimously passed a new ordinance to reduce sugary beverage consumption among kids. The ordinance will require all restaurants in the city that offer kids meals to offer water and low-fat milk as the only default beverages. Cities across the country, in Davis, Calif, Philly, Illi., Denver, Colo., Virginia and more, are working on reducing sugary beverage consumption among kids and teens, as soda's and energy drinks with high sugar content have been shown to be the products that contribute most to added sugars in a child's daily diet. Research shows that about 74% of Latinos have had a sugary drink by age two. Having measures that reduce sugar consumptions at early ages of childhood, may help the healthy choice become ...
Currently at Bozeman High School in Bozeman, Montana, students are still able to reach for their favorite soda or sports drink at lunch. According to a local news article, earlier this year, the high school was selling 2,000 bottles of Gatorade a month. Now, healthier beverages and school food recommendations from the schools' 15-member Food Service and K-12 Nutrition Education commission will be heard on June 12th, 2016. Soda's and sugary beverages high in sugar and have been shown in studies to be linked to higher risks of tooth decay, diabetes and heart disease. The commission committee hopes to change the beverage options at lunch, to allow healthier carbonated waters and juices, but take out the soda and sports drink options from the high school's cafeteria and vending ...
Students in Virginia are weighing in on the impact of soda and sugary beverages through the local public health "Rev Your Bev" campaigns. The campaign that aims at fighting obesity in kids and teens, where, according to a local article, 30% of teens are either overweight or obese, and according to the state's campaigns site, 33% of 5-19-year-olds consume at least one sugary beverage a day. The Virginia Foundation for Healthy Youth (VFHY) representatives have been visiting schools with the "Rev Your Bev" educational campaign informing students of the high amount of sugar in their favorite sugary drinks and having students taste test other healthier options, like infused waters. Even youth are getting in on the movement, where Virginia's largest youth-led movement, "Y-Street" ...
After certain business's like Providence Health & Services removed sugary beverages in 2015 as part of a healthier dining initiative, the city is now discussing it's view of sugary drinks. A once cent per ounce tax on sugary beverages is being proposed by a portland nonprofit, hoping to fund $22 million a year for children's health and education programs. Like the proposed tax in Philly, the funds from taxes would be for programs that promote healthier foods in schools, more physical activity and Pre-K for low-income families. Mel Rader, Upstream Public Health's Executive Director, explained in a recent article, that the tax would not only fund critical initiatives but also help reduce consumption of empty calories, linked to diabetes and other health conditions. To ...
Many cities are being more thoughtful in the amount of sugar that is in food, even purposing soda taxes, or sugary beverage warning labels to decrease sugars found in many convenient food and beverages options throughout stores and restaurants. According to reports from YouGov, some cities are more concerned with sugar consumption than others, noting reports on soda's and other sugar-filled products to add to health risks like obesity, diabetes, and tooth decay. The data shows the percent of people in each city that say they are concerned about sugar levels in the food they consume, with Denver at the highest percent concerned of sugar levels, 50%, and the lowest concerned city about sugar as Houston at 29%. The data also reported the cities that consume the highest amount of ...
Soda taxes may not be the only way to help consumers choose healthier beverages in Philadelphia, now a new tax proposal may help corner stores look at healthier beverages in a different light. Councilwoman Blondell Reynolds Brown purposed to a new "healthy beverages tax credit" to allow corner stores to get a tax break for stocking more healthier beverages into their corner stores. The tax would give a tax credit against their business taxes for what they spend on healthy beverages for one year and the difference for the next year's expenses, benefiting stores like delis, pharmacies, and corner stores that stock healthy beverages versus the common sugar-based sweeteners of high-fructose corn syrup. According to a recent article, Brown hopes the tax will encourage more consumption ...
Joining the movement of many health groups, certain groups in Maryland want to label sugar-sweetened beverages. This doesn't come as a surprise, as many cities are starting to discuss soda taxes across the country including three cities in California, with big pushes in various cities in Calif. and in Philadelphia, Illinois. "There's a national movement working to reduce rates of heart disease, tooth decay, diabetes that are directly related to sugary drinks, here in Maryland, particularly in Baltimore, we are focused on education, ... this measure is about transparency, this is really about a consumers the right to know, " said Robi Rawl director of Sugar-Free kids Maryland, in the local news video. About 22 percent of Latino high-school students drink three or more sugary ...
Needing a little research around sugary beverage taxes on soda, water, and snack foods? Learn about state-by-state bottle water tax rates, and soda tax rates from Bridging the Gaps 2014 research briefs and powerpoint maps that show the latest bottled water and soda taxes. Also in the brief, researchers show sales tax rates for each of the 50 states on bottled water, sodas and selected snack products sold through grocers and vending machines. Visit Bridging the Gap's page here to review all briefs and ...
