NEW YORK -- Most beverage-industry watchers assumed the heated debate that ensued when former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg suggested regulating the size of sugary drinks sold in the city would die a quiet death after he left office. But almost a year later, his successor is raising the issue again, according to reports.
Mayor Bill de Blasio ’s administration is exploring new ways to regulate the size of large sugary drinks in New York City, holding high-level meetings behind closed doors with health advocates and beverage industry executives, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal.
“Mayor de Blasio has made clear he supports a ban on large sugary drinks,” his spokesman, Phil Walzak, told the newspaper. “The administration is currently considering plans on the best way to reach that goal.”
De Blasio has vowed to find a way to limit the size of drinks, a move public-health advocates say would help fight obesity, but has yet to sign off on a new approach.
Meetings to develop an acceptable plan have included officials from the American Beverage Association, a national trade organization that successfully spearheaded the lawsuit that stopped Bloomberg’s ban, as well as executives from the nation’s leading beverage companies, including the Coca-Cola Co., PepsiCo Inc. and Dr Pepper Snapple Group, WSJ reported.
“We don’t think that discriminatory policies against our products are the way to go to address obesity or any health issues,” said Chris Gindlesperger, a spokesman for the American Beverage Association. He confirmed the meetings with the administration.
Gindlesperger said the industry hopes to work collaboratively with the de Blasio administration “to figure out what’s the best way to help New Yorkers cut their calories.”
He characterized the discussions with de Basio's administration as “cordial and positive," unlike the beverage industry’s relationship with Bloomberg administration, which he said was “toxic.”
The last action on Bloomberg's proposal to ban the sale of sugary drinks larger than 16 ounces was a June 2014 ruling by New York's highest court that blocked the ban. Bloomberg left office at the end of 2013.
It's not known when a proposal might go before the New York City Council or one of its committees.
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