New York's Campaign Against Liquid Calories

Since it's well established that taxes on junk food and soda don't work well, New York City has started a new campaign against liquid calories, soda in particular. The campaign will last three months and cost $90,000. You can see a photo of the ad at the New York Times web-site. It shows body fat pouring out of a bottle and it could be very effective. It's simple and memorable. Drink your calories, and you'll get fat.

New York is the same city that banned trans fat in 2007. We're still not sure how much healthier New Yorkers are because of this. There are still plenty of ways to eat unhealthy without transfat. A diet of fast food, donuts, and beer will still have deleterious health consequences

While this campaign might work to reduce soda consumption, should New York take this initiative? Why is it the city's job to get people to reduce soda consumption? How will New York be better if people stop drinking excess calories?

What will people drink instead? Why don't they target orange juice (120 cal. per 8 oz, just as bad as soda just without high fructose corn syrup and some vitamin c) and milk? Why should soda be singled out? Why is there no campaign against lataes at Starbucks, or the ubiquitous energy drinks that fill the freezers at all convenience stores?

I'm still not sure what the goal of this campaign is. Should we stop drinking soda alltogether, or should we just reduce it? If I'm a fit healthy person who enjoys a can of soda every day, is that harming my health?

Some compare this campaign to the anti-smoking campaign, but this is a faulty comparison. Cigarrette smoking was harmful at any level, whereas a single can of soda is not going to kill you. In fact, if you drank nothing but soda everyday, you could remain at a normal weight and body fat if you didn't exceed the calories your body required.

This goes back to my philosophy that there is no such thing as junk food. You can eat anything you want in moderation. Clearly, Americans and New Yorkers consume too much sugar and soft drinks, but that doesn't make soda inherently bad. Our habits are bad, and I doubt a few signs on buses are going to change the way people drink. Like most government campaigns, it will only lead to further confusion.

Kevin