By Ben Fractenberg
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
MANHATTAN — The city is pushing a new ad against sugary drinks.
The Health Department’s new poster shows sugar packets draining into an erupting soda bottle.
“All those extra calories can bring obesity, diabetes and heart disease,” the ad claims.
The new campaign comes after a report by the Health Department that states fewer than half of the city’s 18-24 year olds drink a sugary beverage each day – down from 58 percent to 48 percent in two years.
“Sugary drinks shouldn’t be a part of our everyday diets,” Health Commissioner Dr. Thomas Farley said in a statement. “Soda has fueled the obesity epidemic as portion sizes have grown and marketing of these products has intensified. We still have a long way to go to reduce the consumption of sugar-sweetened drinks, but it’s encouraging to see that New Yorkers are starting to move away from these products.”
The new ad also comes after Gov. David Paterson tried one last push on his soda tax proposal. The governor pitched the idea as a way to close the state’s budget gap and reduce the consumption of sugary drinks.
But members of the state Legislature opposed to the tax, which is unlikely to be part of the budget.
