France Bans Free Soda Refills In Effort To Curb Obesity Rate

In recent years, there has been an international trend of actively fighting rising obesity rates. In America, the first tax on sugary drinks passed last year, and this week, France banned free sugary drink refills. The law takes place immediately and applies to restaurants, fast-food chains, schools, and camps.

Included in the new legislation are "flavored fizzy and non-fizzy drinks, concentrated drinks like fruit syrups, drinks based on water, milk, cereal, vegetables or fruit, sports and energy drinks, fruit nectar, vegetable nectar and similar products."

The obesity rate in France is 15.3 percent, which is lower than the average European Union rate of 15.9 percent and significantly less alarming than America's 36.5 percent, according to The New York Times. Even so, France is one of the first European countries to pass strict laws like this one. The soda refill ban follows France's sugary drink tax that passed five years ago.