The director of the federal Centers for Disease Control — who previously served as Mayor Bloomberg’s health commissioner — refused to take a stand yesterday on the mayor’s plan to limit the size of sugary sodas to 16 ounces.
“Every city has to make that decision for themselves,” Dr. Tom Frieden said when asked whether Bloomberg’s plan made sense nationally.
“Communities all over the country are looking at different ways to address obesity.”
Frieden made the comments at a press conference standing next to the mayor and his successor, Dr. Tom Farley, to promote the expansion of the city’s electronic health-records initiative.
The Obama administration has yet to weigh in on the soda-size issue, and Frieden may have been playing it safe so as to not get ahead of the White House.
Moments earlier, he lauded the city as a national model, citing rapid advances in life expectancy, declines in smoking rates and childhood obesity.