New York mayor Michael Bloomberg has been dubbed the national ‘Food Police’ chief after asking the federal government for permission to ban the almost 1.7 million New Yorkers using food stamps, from using them to buy soda.
The issue has been couched in the fight against obesity, and many agree that food stamp use should be used to buy healthy, essential foods rather than junk food. But others argue that an extension of food stamps into farmers markets, for example, would be a much better way to encourage healthy eating options, than banning soda.
Bloomberg arguably has his heart in the right place, but critics contend that an arbitrary ban on soda is useless. There are plenty more unhealthy things in a supermarket other than soda: sweets, chips, candy…the argument is, ‘why is soda any worse than any of these other ‘naughty’ food items?’
The Center for Science in the Public Interest has expressed mixed feelings about the proposed ban, while they signed onto it, they still acknowledge that “while it was unclear to what extent soft drink consumption by food-stamp recipients contributed to obesity, the plan might provide some useful data.”
In defence of the plan, Bloomberg claims it is consistent with current limits of the purchase of alcohol and cigarettes with food stamps, but many are saying that neither alcohol or tobacco are food. The mayor may be right in wanting to promote healthier living choices for residence of New York, but an arbitrary mandate against soda? It may be a little misguided.
