Through this election season, there’s plenty of opportunity to continue politically-related discussions. The New York City ban on sodas over 16oz recently came up in my Facebook news feed. As you might guess, I think it’s pointless and symbolic at best, not in a good way, for several reasons.
Let’s start with the most basic message. Do you really want laws and ordinances dictating what you can and can’t choose to eat or drink? Should it be up to government to try to make your choices for you? The message the soda ban ordinance sends is that fat people can’t control themselves so it’s up to government to step in and stop their wanton self-destruction. This brings me to what I discuss extensively in Powerful Hunger. Government may try to put obstacles in your way, but ultimately we all make our own choices. The soda ban sets an extremely disturbing precedent for government intrusion into our lives and for what it says about the role of government.
And really. The whole thing is downright stupid, from the concept itself to its execution. Given the complexity of the obesity issue overall, it’s dumb to simply target one particular beverage as some kind of ultimate culprit. There’s a world of other things people can eat and drink, especially in New York City where your choices are expansive and highly accessible anywhere you go.
The execution of the ordinance suggests that even its intention will be wholly ineffective. Only vendors who operate under certain health code rules are required to comply. These will include restaurants and movie theatre and event concessions. You can’t get a pitcher of soda with your meal so everybody just keep ordering. Or have beer instead. And that giant tub of fat-laden buttered popcorn won’t come with a giant soda anymore so order two drinks or sneak a bottle in your backpack.
You’ll be shocked to know who’s exempt from the soda ban. The Big Gulp is not extinct in NYC. No, you can still go to 7-11 and get a Super Big Gulp if you want one. There’s also no restriction on fountain drink refills so any vendor who doesn’t want unhappy patrons can switch to fountain soda and let them keep filling up that 16oz cup.
I really don’t see how this crazy ordinance will have any measurable effect. Anyone who grabs a giant soda at the convenience store still can, along with unrestricted sales of candy bars, chips, cookies, and all the other junk food that stores like 7-11 make so readily available. Not that restricting the sale of a single item would matter. If people want something, they’ll make changes to get it. This is why it’s all about your own freedom of choice and personal responsibility. I used to drink a LOT of Pepsi, every single day. If some law had restricted how much Pepsi I could have purchased at one vendor, I would have gone to several vendors to get what I wanted. Some kind of external control was not the answer. I had to face my own habits, acknowledge their impact, and accept that real changes had to be made.
In my book, I write extensively about the toxic food environment we live in today but at no point do I even suggest that food processors should be restricted from attempting to produce and sell whatever they choose in a free market. Lifetime weight management results from taking control, understanding your choices, taking action, and experiencing the effects. It can be very difficult to let go of the hope that someone or something can do it for you. Truly lasting and highly impactful change comes from within. It’s in your hands.
