First, it was the air we breathe, then, the food we eat. Mayor Bloomberg has a history of trying to improve the health and well-being of New Yorkers — by force.
* Smoking: He wasn’t the first to ban smoking in bars and restaurants, but Bloomberg’s 2002 mandate to keep people from lighting up in eateries and other enclosed public spaces was his opening salvo in the war on bad health. Last year, the ban extended to parks, beaches and other public outdoor spots.
* Trans fats: At the urging of Nanny Bloomy, the city was at the forefront of the national move to ban trans fats. The 2005 regulations forcing the city’s food industry to drop the artificial substance made the city the first in the nation to do so.
* Calorie counts: Nothing is guilt-free in NYC, where Bloomberg required eateries in 2008 to post calorie counts on their menus.
* Baby formula: The city’s 2012 “Latch on NYC” effort requires hospitals to lock away baby formula to encourage new moms to breast-feed instead.
* Salt: Call him Bloomberg the Bland. In 2010, he targeted salt in processed foods, calling on restaurants, supermarkets and fast-food chains to reduce sodium by 25 percent over the next five years.
* Alcohol: Smoking, salt, fat. There’s just one thing left on Bloomberg’s hit list: booze. The city Health Department has been surveying New Yorkers about how much they drink to get a better picture of alcohol abuse, and last year the agency explored a measure that would outlaw happy-hour drink specials.