“IT’S WAR: BLOOMBERG VS THE BUBBLES ( Coke and Pepsi have joined forces against NYC soda ban)

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg‘s proposed “soda ban” that would limit customers in this city of nearly 10 million to 16 ounces.   Has angered many  New Yorkers.

Bloomberg’s proposed soda ban would make it illegal for restaurants, delis, movie theaters, stadiums and street carts to sell sodas and sugary drinks over 16 ounces. Diet sodas that contain fewer than 25 calories per 8-ounce serving, fruit juices, dairy drinks and alcoholic beverages would be exempt, as well as vending machines, groceries, convenience stores and newsstands that do not have to be regulated by the city’s health department.

The mayor’s proposal has garnered the support from health insurance companies and professional medical associations, such as the American Academy of Pediatrics. Even celebrities are weighing in on the ban: Filmmaker and Brooklyn native Spike Lee told New York magazine recently he’s in favor of the proposal.

The city’s Department of Health unanimously passed the proposal last month and has scheduled a public hearing for July 24, with a final vote in September. If approved, the ban would take effect in March.

“If government’s purpose isn’t to improve the health and longevity of its citizens, I don’t know what its purpose is,” Micheal  Bloomberg

Last week, there was the Million Big Gulp March in City Hall Park

New Yorkers for Beverage Choices, a coalition of New York restaurants, movie theaters, businesses and citizens opposed to the proposed soda ban, announced the ban has 62,344 signatures. The coalition is encouraging all New Yorkers to make their voices heard by filing a comment with the Department of Health in advance of a July 24 public hearing on the proposal.

Fearing  the Bloomberg proposal could spread.   Coca Cola and Pepsi , the titans of Soda with 70% of the nations soft drink market ,have joined forces to rally citizens.

GIVE ME HIGH FRUCTOSE SWEETENERS OR GIVE ME…………….  

Movie marquee ads. Airplane banners. Radio commercials. Freedom-of-choice tweets, the two companies will spend millions in the Big Apple. ”Say no to the NYC ban” reads one of the movie-theater marquee signs in the city.    People wearing shirts that say “I picked out my beverage all by myself” are asking New Yorkers to sign a petition against the ban.

One-minute radio ads promote the freedom to cheer for the Yankees or Mets, to live in any borough — and to buy supersize drinks. “This is New York City. No one tells us what neighborhood to live in or what team to root for,” the ad says. “So are we going to let our mayor tell us what size beverage to buy?”

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The stakes are high.   For Coke and Pepsi July 24, could mean a major drop in profits.  Not everyone is against the ban, in a resent poll 42 % of New Yorkers  support the ban.  Saturation of ads could have a negative effect.

For members of the Coalition, July 24th  hearing and the final vote in September means either Independence Day or the Day the Bubbles Stood Still.

Cityfella