American Beverage Association Fights Back On Soda Ban

Mayor Bloomberg and others may try to ban large sugary drinks, but the sweet beverages aren't going to take it lying down anymore: a new radio spot, paid for by the American Beverage Association, hits back at Bloomberg for taking away consumer choice. 

The radio spot features "New Yorkers" voice-overs that criticize Bloomberg's proposal, i.e. "Once again he's telling us what we can and can't have." The ad comes from the New Yorkers for Beverage Choices coalition, reports the Wall Street Journal. The big push in advertisements comes as the public hearing on the soda ban on July 24 draws near. The coalition spokesman told the WSJ that it's encouraging citizens to sign petitions and submit comments to the Board of Public Health. "We're looking at every opportunity to get the message out," Eliot Hoff said to the WSJ. "This impacts every New Yorker in all five boroughs."

In other soda ban news, one other organization is getting involved: The American Cancer Society. The organization is urging the Surgeon General to investigate sugary drinks and their impact on health, reports the Chicago Tribune. The hope is that all all-inclusive, non-biased study could form the public's opinion on sugary drinks once and for all. The American Beverage Association, in response, said that independent studies already confirm that sugary drinks don't play a role in obesity. We'll have to see how this one plays out.