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Local politician’s campaign against soda advances 

soda warning labels

Sen. Bill Monning

Safety warning labels on sodas and other sugar-sweetened beverages sold in California came a step closer to reality today when the Senate Committee on Health approved Senate Bill SB1000 on a 5-2 vote. The first-in-nation legislation was introduced by Paso Robles’ representative to the California Senate, State Senator Bill Monning, D-Carmel, to ensure that all Californians are aware of the link between sugary drink consumption and the exploding rates of diabetes and obesity.

“Consumers have a right to know about the adverse health effects of frequent sugary drink consumption,” stated Senator Monning. “SB 1000 does exactly what the beverage industry has long said we should do – educate the public – and this is the appropriate public health response to the scientifically proven risks that liquid sugar poses to the public’s health. The bill is a common sense measure that is overwhelmingly supported by the public.”

If enacted, SB 1000 would place a warning on the front of all beverage containers with added sweeteners that have 75 or more calories per 12 ounces. The label, developed by a national panel of nutrition and public health experts, would read: STATE OF CALIFORNIA SAFETY WARNING: Drinking beverages with added sugar contributes to obesity, diabetes, and tooth decay.

Research shows that a soda or two a day increases the risk of preventable diabetes by 26 percent. Sugary drinks are also the single largest contributor of added calories in the American diet, responsible for 43 percent of the additional calories consumed over the last 30 years. Drinking just one soda a day increases an adult’s likelihood of being overweight by 27 percent and a child’s by 55 percent.

“Science has conclusively shown that the jolt of liquid sugar delivered by a soda and other sugary drinks plays a unique and leading role in driving both diabetes and obesity epidemics. The average American is drinking nearly 45 gallons of these products a year, with little understanding of just how much damage they do to their health,” explains Dr. Harold Goldstein of the California Center for Public Health Advocacy. “It’s irresponsible to sell such risky products without properly warning consumers of the threats they face.”

Research has linked soda and sugary drink consumption to skyrocketing rates of diabetes, obesity, and tooth decay. According to a recent Field Poll, 74 percent of California voters, including a majority of Republicans and Independents, support warning labels on sugary drinks.

“I see more and more patients losing limbs or going blind every year, and many of them drink a soda a day unaware just how hazardous the habit is to their health,” said Dr. Ashby Wolfe of the California Medical Association. “Diabetes rates have skyrocketed by over 600 percent over the past generation and liquid sugar is uniquely responsible for this epidemic. Warning labels are a vital step toward preventing a lot of trouble down the road.”

These health implications are felt most acutely by California’s communities of color, which are the largest consumers of sugary drinks.

“Unless these twin epidemics are reversed, one in three children born after 2000 – and nearly half of Latino and African-American children – will develop type 2 diabetes in their lifetime,” said Darcel Lee, president and CEO of the California Black Health Network. “For that reason, the California Black Health Network and the Latino Coalition for a Healthy California have proudly joined with our state’s doctors to support this key legislation.”

SB 1000 now moves to the Senate Committee on Appropriations for consideration.

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About the author: Publisher Scott Brennan

Scott Brennan is the publisher of this newspaper and founder of Access Publishing. Follow him on Twitter, LinkedIn, or follow his blog.