Cambridge Considers Ban on Oversized Sugary Drinks

Sure, a majority of New Yorkers, including a very vocal Jon Stewart, balked at Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s proposal to ban big sodas. But the outspoken critics didn’t get to Henrietta Davis, the mayor of Cambridge, Mass., who asked the city’s health officials this week for recommendations on adopting regulations for the size of sugary sodas served in the city.

Davis, who also serves on a community coalition about children’s health, isn’t necessarily imposing a regulation on size, like Bloomberg’s 16-ounce max, according to Reuters. She is also considering ways of incentivizing restaurants and stores to cut back--not for adults, she said, but for youth: "The target of this effort is super-sized and oversized sugary drinks, especially when children are the primary consumers."

The home of Harvard and M.I.T. already has public health regulations in place, serving to dissuade citizens from smoking and consuming trans fats. But Davis’ proposal is already ruffling some feathers.

A local 7-Eleven sells plenty of the chain’s signature Big Gulp, the branch manager told the Associated Press, but the customers are almost exclusively adults. "We appreciate her trying to do something about the kids, their weight, but that is not the way to go about it," he said, suggesting to start with school programs. "Don’t put it on the stores."