Dive Brief:
- In a ruling issued Thursday, the New York State Court of Appeals refused to reinstate New York City's ban on the sales of large sugar sweetened beverages.
- This was the last opportunity for the bill to be enacted, after facing two previous losses in the state's lower courts.
- The proposed ban would have barred sales of sugar sweetened beverages larger than 16 ounces.
Dive Insight:
This is a major victory for the American beverage industry, which argues against health advocates claiming that sugar sweetened beverages are one of the leading causes of obesity. But the bill's functionality was questioned from the start, as it included loopholes and exceptions that were seen as contradictory by some.
The newest fight against sugar sweetened beverages comes in the form of proposed taxes introduced in Illinois and San Francisco. While the Illinois tax was shot down in May, voting in San Francisco starts in November. It will be interesting to see how this different offense against the same opponent will unfold.