We all know that sugary drinks, like soda, aren't the best for our health. Now, though, these drinks may be getting warning labels--at least in California. A bill introduced on Thursday in Sacramento would require sugary drinks to carry warning labels for obesity, diabetes and tooth decay, according to SF Gate.
A growing body of research has found that sugary drinks are the biggest contributors to empty calories in the American diet. Not only that, but these drinks are also associated with being overweight, according to Reuters. Currently, 35.7 percent of adults and 16.9 percent of children are obese; this measure could potentially help curb those statistics slightly.
"The goal of the warning quite simply is to give consumers the right to know what are well-established medical impacts for consuming these beverages," said Democratic Sen. William Monning in an interview with The Almagest. "We're talking about a public health epidemic that will take more lives than gun violence."
That said, there are those who are arguing against the new bill. Foods other than soda account for most of the overall calories Americans ingest, according to Reuters. Yet these other calories aren't necessarily "empty" like those found in sugary drinks.
"It is misleading to suggest that soft drink consumption is uniquely responsible for weight gain," said CalBev, the California arm of the American Beverage Association, in a statement, according to Reuters. "In fact, only 4.0 calories in the average American diet are derived directly from soda."
Needless to say, the beverage industry is likely to try and oppose the new bill. In New York in 2012, the industry managed to stop a ban on sales of large sugar drinks, according to SF Gate. The industry argues that raising taxes and restricting soft drink consumption won't necessarily lead to a healthier population. That said, the new bill in California may just represent the next step when it comes to warning the public about what substances can impact their health.
