A Push to Ban Soda Purchases With Food Stamps – NYTimes.com.

I don’t believe govt should be dictating what people should eat or buy –but I am all for this. Soda has no nutritional value at all and in fact can have detrimental health implications when used consistently over time. If the govt is giving people money to help them out — then they can and should ensure that they have those people’s best interests in mind.  Soda and/or sugared drinks is not a MUST HAVE TO SURVIVE item — and in fact, I wish they would look at removing many of the processed foods that are allowable as well.

I love that addressing NY’s obesity issues is a major priority for the governor. It should be — I LOVE NEW YORK.

Just my 2 cents…

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg sought federal permission on Wednesday to bar New York City’s 1.7 million recipients of food stamps from using them to buy soda or other sugared drinks.

The request, made to the United States Department of Agriculture, which finances and sets the rules for the food-stamp program, is part of an aggressive anti-obesity push by the mayor that has also included advertisements, stricter rules on food sold in schools and an unsuccessful attempt to have the state impose a tax on the sugared drinks.

Public health experts greeted Mr. Bloomberg’s proposal cautiously. George Hacker, senior policy adviser for the health promotion project of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, said a more equitable approach might be to use educational campaigns to dissuade food-stamp users from buying sugared drinks.

The health of New Yorkers, and particularly obesity, is one of the mayor’s signature issues. During his first term in office, Mr. Bloomberg expanded the city’s smoking ban to almost all indoor public places, and he is proposing to expand it to beaches, parks and plazas. New York City has banned trans fats in restaurants and requires restaurants to post calorie counts.

The city’s campaign against sugary drinks has been especially aggressive. This week, it introduced ads showing a man drinking packets of sugar. But its attempt to persuade the State Legislature to impose a tax on the drinks was met with skepticism and opposition from the beverage industry and grocery owners.