New York City Bans Super Sized Soda's in World First

NEW York City has become the first city to ban super-sized, sugary drinks at fast foods restaurants, movie theatres and other eateries.

The regulation passed overnight puts a 473mL size limit on cups and bottles of non-diet soft drinks, sweetened teas and other calorie-packed beverages. The ban doesn't cover supermarkets or most convenience stores.

City health officials say the ban is necessary to combat the worldwide obesity epidemic. Mayor of NY, Mike Bloomberg and other advocates for the soft drink plan – see it as another pioneering step for public health.

They say the proposal strikes at a leading cause of obesity simply by giving people a built-in reason to stop at 473mL: 200 calories, if it's a regular Coke, compared to 240 in a 591mL size. For someone who drinks a soda a day, the difference amounts to 14,600 calories a year, enough to add about 1.8kg of fat to a person's body.

The rule wouldn't apply to lower-calorie drinks, such as water or diet soda, or to alcoholic beverages or drinks that are more than half milk or 70 per cent juice.

Enforcement would be conducted by an existing corps of city restaurant inspectors. A violation would lead to a $US200 ($191) fine.

This is a great step forward in reducing the amounts of sugary soft drinks but New York City has a long way go with consistent dietary recommendations – the same Mayor Mike Bloomberg just passed out free donuts for the city's “National Donut Day”.