San Francisco supervisors take up three pieces of legislation to ban sweetened beverages

San Francisco lawmakers are trying to cut down on soda consumption after local voters rejected taxing sugary drinks in the name of public health.

On Monday, a Board of Supervisors committee took up three pieces of legislation that represent a new front in the sweetened-beverage wars.

One proposed measure would all for soda ads posted on buses, billboards and other city surfaces to bear warnings associated with sugary drinks.

The proposed warning label on the beverages would read that sugar contribute as a factor to obesity, diabetes and tooth decay. This rule will also be applied to sports venues.

The other laws that were voted unanimously for consideration would ban soda ads on public property. City fund would be prohibited so that soda can’t be bought.

Supervisor Malia Cohen said that youth deserves to grow up where they are exposed to messages that promote health. They should not be exposed to messages that promote harmful substances.

However, Lisa Katic, a representative of the American Beverage Association said, “Important facts were missing from their discussion on the sources of obesity, such as inactivity, genetics and overconsumption of food items like pizza and burgers”.

Last week, UC San Francisco announced that will phase out sales of sugar-sweetened drinks at its campuses, hospitals and clinics on July 1. Employees, patients and visitors only will be able to buy zero-calorie drinks, such as juice or milk by October.