"SF soda tax debate with Supervisor Scott Wiener" San Francisco Examiner, February 2014
In the city's latest effort to champion public health, San Francisco is going after a victory it's progressive peer to the east could not attain. New York City Mayor Bloomberg's effort to ban sugary drinks larger than 16 ounces fizzed out when a state Supreme Court Justice found it to be "arbitrary and capricious". Supervisor Wiener is seeking to reach similar ends via a different route. He is proposing a 2 cents per ounce tax on sugary drinks with the proceeds slated to fund nutrition and physical activity programs in schools and parks.
Only time will tell if the measure passes, and more importantly if it produces the desired result (less obesity and accompanying chronic disease). What we do know now is this; sugary beverages consumed in excess cause weight gain. What constitutes excess is difficult to quantify without considering the entire diet, so I will present an overly simplistic example. One pound equals 3,500 calories. At 140 calories per 12 ounces, 25 cans of cola equal 1 pound. That is an average of about 3 1/2 cans a day, 7 days a week. Drink 4 cans of soda daily and you can expect to pack on over 50 extra pounds this year.
Is a sugary drink tax good public policy? That can't be determined yet with available data. Is daily sugary beverage consumption good personal health policy? I believe that answer to be more clear than the ill-fated drink of my youth, Crystal Pepsi.