Warning Label First
Sacramento, CA — A California lawmaker wants to put warning labels on soda and sugary drinks. That would make California the first state to require such labels on those drinks under proposed bill SB 1000.
Democratic Senator William Monning says, “SB 1000 would require a label informing the potential consumer that these products have been proven to contribute to obesity, preventable diabetes, and tooth decay. That science is hard evidence. What we seek to do is make that information more of a consumer right to know if you will.”
Similar to other product health warnings, 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 would read, “STATE OF CALIFORNIA SAFETY WARNING: Drinking beverages with added sugar(s) contributes to obesity, diabetes, and tooth decay”.
Monning’s Office offers these statistics:
- Sugary drinks are the biggest contributor of added calories in the American diet, responsible for 43 percent of the added calories in the American diet 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.
- Research shows that a soda or two a day increases the risk of diabetes by 26 percent.
