Why stop at soda?
Mayor Bloomberg’s proposed ban on sugary drinks larger than 16 ounces could also include massive buckets of buttery movie-theater popcorn, as far as members of his Board of Health are concerned.
“The popcorn isn’t a whole lot better than the soda,” said Bruce Vladeck, a senior adviser at Nexera Consulting and one of the mayor’s appointees to the 11-member board.
The board yesterday agreed to put Bloomberg’s big-soda ban up for a public hearing July 24, but also talked about the merits of limiting other high-calorie treats.
A large tub of movie-theater popcorn has up to 1,650 calories.
“There are certainly milkshakes and milk-coffee beverages that have monstrous amounts of calories . . . and I’m not so sure what the rationale is not to include those,” said member Dr. Joel Forman, a pediatrics professor at Mount Sinai.
Assistant Health Commissioner Susan Kansagra said the agency is focusing on sugary drinks because of their empty calories.
The board will vote on the soda rules in September.