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Iowa Patch Poll: Should Iowa Limit the Size of Soda Drinks?

New York's Mayor Michael Bloomberg suggested limiting the size of soda drinks in the war against obesity, but is legislating healthy choices the way to do it?

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg has suggested banning sales of soda pops greater than 16 ounces saying soda contributes to obesity.

Here in Iowa, Gov. Terry Branstad aims to make us the healthiest state in the nation, but he feels choosing what to drink, and how much of it, should be up to us.

“We cannot legislate our way to being the healthiest state,” Branstad spokesman Tim Albrecht told the Des Moines Register. “That goal will only be accomplished through Iowans taking ownership of their individual health.”

Kirk Tyler, president of Coca-Cola Atlantic Bottling Co. in western Iowa, told the Register that such bans could not only hurt his industry it could also harm Iowa farmers.

Full-calorie sodas contain “high-fructose corn syrup,” he said.

“If we ban those kinds of products, what does it do to the Iowa farmer? What will it do to the Iowa economy? It won’t put a huge dent in it, but it won’t help it,” he said.

What do you think about this ban? Vote in the poll and tell us why in the comment section.

Not so skinny myself June 5, 2012 at 02:29 am
If I want a 32 ounce cola, what's to keep me from buying 2-3 12 ounce drinks? I consume the same amount, but get charged more. And does that extra money go to the government or to health care plans? No ho ho, my friends. Society still foots the bill for the obesity caused by my 2-3 sugary drinks at a setting while the beverage companies earn the extra money. This law won't curb the obesity problem, nor who bears the cost of it.
Now, education? Yeah, that might work. Seeing all those sugar cubes piled up next to the big gulp has certainly caused me to take notice and curb my consumption.
Todd Richissin June 5, 2012 at 03:06 am
Hasn't the very raising of the ban on gigantic sugary drinks done more to help with education than practically anything else in the past several years?
Lisa Duluth June 5, 2012 at 05:15 am
Having a loved one who was recently diagnosed with Type Diabetes has me a little on the defensive and getting very educated. Let me be clear.... Type 1 has NOTHING to do with diet and everything to do with autoimmune issues. However, both types if diabetes are on the rise and both types are potentially damaging to the long term health of the individual. Noe Kreddit (No credit) is brushing aside the epidemic and severity of the issue. I needed to set the record straight.
Lisa Duluth June 5, 2012 at 05:19 am
I agree with Not so Skinny. Limiting the sale of sugary drinks will do nothing to help slow obesity. It requires self motivation and self control on the part of the individual. This law makes no sense. However, laws that require honest and truthful labeling and nutrition information.. ie, the total amount of sugar, carbs calories, etc in a 26, 24 or 32 oz bottle of soda (not just a portion of it) and an education campaign so that people can really understand what they are consuming and make informed decisions might go a lot further.
Noe Kreddits June 6, 2012 at 03:51 pm
Lisa, Thank you for citing your source of information.
Your statistic is showing an increase in the # of incidents. However, the graph I showed you reports # of cases "per 100,000" people. That will reflect accurately an increase or decrease irregardless of population increase. Your CDC chart does not factor in population increase, making it difficult to determine what the real trend is there.
Noe Kreddits June 6, 2012 at 03:53 pm
I should also state - the method of diagnosing diabetes, like Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), Autism, and other genetic disorders has changed over the years. 30 years ago doctors were less likely to classify someone as "diabetic".
Noe Kreddits June 6, 2012 at 03:59 pm
I sit corrected. That was not a policy I had heard about while living there.
Noe Kreddits June 6, 2012 at 04:07 pm
Please note: your CDC graph, Lisa, does not take into account the rise in population nor the expansion of and abilities to diagnose diabetes. Your chart does not instill me with FEAR that we are under a pandemic. Nor does this translate to us needing more government oversight to curtail sugar intake. Note: Mayor Bloomberg's directive is only targetting carbonated beverages above the 16-oz. size. Why not include all beverages, such as tea, coffee, and sports-drinks?
A 12-oz. can of Coke has 140 calories. 39 grams of sugar. (looking at the label). A 8-oz serving of orange juice bought from the store has 110 calories, 24 grams of sugar. (looking at the Minute Maid Premium Kids+ label) Doing the MATH: 110 * 1.5 = 165 calories for a 12-oz. serving size, ... and... drumroll ... 36 grams of sugar! So 3 grams of sugar is all that separates 12 oz. of Coke from 12 oz. of ORANGE JUICE for kids! Oh my!! We should ban orange juice too!! Call Bloomberg now!! Patch---put out a recall on all orange juice manufacturing!! Get real people!
Maria Houser Conzemius June 6, 2012 at 04:14 pm
Lisa, I think it doesn't hurt to let people know one way or another that they're making unhealthy choices. Further, obese pregnant women are more likely to have autistic children.
Steve Wilson June 7, 2012 at 03:48 pm
Sugar isn't unhealthy for you. Too much sugar iS unhealthy fo you. This is not just about obesity, it's about diabetes. Which is getting out of control. More cases now than ever before in this country, many of those cases in children. There is a link to diabetes and too much sugar.
Suggesting that cops shoot people drinking 32 oz beverages is rediculous. The law applies to the vender, not to the consumer. Meaning it is against the law for mcdonalds to sell 32 oz fountain drinks. Not that is against the law for somebody to possess more than 32 oz of soda. (small point, but if the country was literally headed down the drain then there would have to exist A drian big enough to fit it ( and all it's obese citizens), Going down the drain is a figurative expression, best to leave it that way in this case) There is no sugar in coffee or tea ( unless it is sweet tea in which case law applies) so there is no sense in regulating them. Also both coffee and tea have been shown to have a positive effect on most peoples health. As for beer, wine and hard A, you are right, people drink too much, but bars rarely sell vodka in 32 oz cups. And if they did, I think we should make a law preventing them from doing so, as that could kill somebody.
Steve Wilson June 7, 2012 at 04:01 pm
You still have the freedom to drink as much sugar water as you want. There is no erosion of freedoms. As with most laws this one is in place because your freedom to get fat and get diabetes because of a total lack of self control is costing healthy people money. Shouldn't I have the freedom to have inexpensive healthcare, I am healthy, I take care of myself and exercise, yet my insurance costs more and covers less every year. The law may not actually prevent people from over consuming, but it would be nice if all you personal freedom fighters would start using some social pressure on your out of control pals. You can't do whatever you want whenever you want without affecting other people... That is why we have laws
Steve Wilson June 7, 2012 at 04:51 pm
We are talking about soda pop here right?
Steve Wilson June 7, 2012 at 04:56 pm
How do you feel about the regulations on alcohol and smoking? Does it upset you that millions of children are denied the ability to purchase their own? Does it bother you that you have to purchase mucinex at the pharmacy counter because the nanny state wants to prevent you from making meth? Meth could be big business if the government wasn't squashing it.
Steve Wilson June 7, 2012 at 05:04 pm
First off, let's be strait about one thing, high fructose corn syrup is not sugar, it's an inferior sugar like product made from corn. Which is why so many Iowans are up in arms. Too much fructose will eventually kill you. Yes. And when you arrive in the emergency room suffering from a heart attack because you are obese the doctors have to help you. They can't say "oh forget that fat guy... He's hopeless!". Oh but since you like millions of poor Americans can't afford health insurance the cost of healthcare goes up for everyone else. Don't you get it??
Steve Wilson June 7, 2012 at 05:13 pm
So.... John, you are volunteering to pay for these unhealthy people's healthcare costs?
The more you subscribe to your isolationist individual freedom club, the more the country will crumble around you. These trends are unsustainable, and it is obvious that individuals don't have the ability to see the big picture. (you are a perfect example) Why not try helping your countrymen out?
Maria Houser Conzemius June 7, 2012 at 05:56 pm
Mother Jones magazine has a nice article in it that tells us that obesogens in certain plastics like BPA and BADGE make us fatter. It's best to avoid plastic bottles unless you know that they don't contain those obesogens.
Lisa Duluth June 18, 2012 at 05:06 am
Noe....
more studies indicatinfg that DIabetes IS on the rise. http://www.jdrf.org/index.cfm?page_id=117248
Kurt B. June 18, 2012 at 12:18 pm
This blog has been around for a while, looks like.
Why don't we go all the way and do this : - limit the size of soda pops. - also coffee can be no bigger than 12 oz. - cars can be no bigger than a Ford Escape or Chevy Equinox - houses are limited to 3 b.r. - no more than 2 lanes wide for interstate highways, even in large metro areas like Mpls - all t.v.'s shut off automatically at 9 p.m. - no more king size beds - too big - sleeve of golf balls is only one - carton of eggs is max of 3 - no more Big Mac's , as a regular burger is large enough - Sams warehouse can no longer sell anything but a package of one Make sense ?
Maria Houser Conzemius June 18, 2012 at 12:44 pm
Kurt B., bwa-ha-ha-ha!
Deb Thornton June 18, 2012 at 03:01 pm
Kurt,
Isn't that what they call socialism? Kinda like in Russia. And, guess what! It didn't work! Won't work. Doesn't Work. But that is exactly where this policy, and others of a similar ilk are heading us. EPA, Energy Dept., Education Dept. etc....
Maria Houser Conzemius June 18, 2012 at 03:27 pm
Deb Thornton, propaganda is boring (yawn). We've heard this song before, and only right-wing ideologues buy into it.
Matthew Georges July 3, 2012 at 03:28 am
Nicotine is addictive, not tobacco. Maybe you should have paid more attention in class.
Matthew Georges July 3, 2012 at 03:31 am
Get over yourself
Stephen Schmidt (Editor) July 4, 2012 at 01:59 pm
No personal attacks please.
CFBusinessOwner July 4, 2012 at 02:35 pm
We don't need a soda/sugar ban. We need to eat healthy but the real focus should be on urban planning. Why? Take a look at how your city is designed. Can you easily and safely walk to where you want to shop? Or has your city allowed all the big box stores to be placed on the very edge of your city so you couldn't walk there even if you wanted to? We need to design our communities so we can easily add exercise into our daily activities and we accomplish two things at once: exercise + errands = healthy bodies and healthy communities. Then if we have a small amount of sugar it won't be any big deal.
Maria Houser Conzemius July 4, 2012 at 02:50 pm
Kate, +1 for your comment! I often wish that cities and towns were designed to be safe for bicycling and walking. Downtown Iowa City is safe for neither, although I bike downtown from my house at least once a week. I would never live in Coralville or North Liberty because there's far less urban planning for bicyclists and pedestrians in evidence there. Very early city planners did the best job of urban planning. We wouldn't have any beautiful buildings or safe areas to bike without them.
Maria Houser Conzemius July 4, 2012 at 02:53 pm
I voted no for limiting the size of sodas in Iowa because such a law would be a boon for Republicans, who love to stir the pot.
Matthew Georges July 4, 2012 at 06:41 pm
We shouldn't be FORCING anyone in America to do anything, when they are doing it to their own bodies.
Matthew Georges July 4, 2012 at 06:43 pm
Do you bike in the winter? Do you have a bike trailer? Why do you only bike once a week? Your profile photo, and constant bragging make it look like you are posing as a real cyclist, can you back it up?
tammy August 27, 2012 at 03:33 am
well they better limit beer then.branstead wrong,he dont care.look his son killed somedody dringing.soda dont kill.if people wants to drink it ,let them,thats what i think.

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