The current issue of the New England Journal of Medicine contains two commentaries examining the recent judicial rejection of New York Mayor Bloomberg's proposed partial ban on sugar-sweetened drinks larger than 16 ounces. The Bloomberg proposal was purportedly presented as a means of combating obesity among City residents.
Neither commentary bothers to point out the obvious --- that singling out soda as a cause of obesity instead of considering all sources of calories is bound to lead nowhere in terms of reducing the toll of obesity. The second Perspective piece went even further afield, targeting soda companies, and indeed all corporate activity, as being a significant cause of the problem. Both commentaries overlooked the fact that when l6 ounce sodas are consumed---it is because the consumer chooses to do so. Instead, as one of the commentaries noted, "Large corporations ¦..use their influence and money to derail public health measures that could reduce their profits." And as the other one notes in discussing the consumption of super sized sodas, "The target is not the individual, it is the beverage industry, corporate America."
Further, one concludes "if we can challenge the industries and businesses that profit by promoting bloated serving sizes, perhaps we can take on other corporate enterprises that similarly contaminate our social environment."
"Yikes! " exclaims ACSH President Dr. Elizabeth Whelan. Such anti-corporate rhetoric should have no place in a prominent medical journal. The bottom line is that a) soda consumption is not "the" cause of obesity; and b) it is the consumer -- not the corporation -- who makes the decision on what sized beverage to consume. It is our job as public health professionals to educate consumers about how to reduce their risk of obesity by being aware of portion size and calorie counts".