Two medical advocacy groups joined the sugary drinks fray this week with issuance of a joint policy statement asking legislators to limit sugary drink consumption. The American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Heart Association are endorsing price hikes on sugary drinks through imposition of new excise taxes as well as adopting limits on advertising…
Read More »Taking restrictions to a whole new level, California Governor Jerry Brown last week signed 2 bills into law that place additional restrictions on the restaurant industry in a couple of different areas. The first restricts the distribution of plastic straws while the second targets sugary drinks by mandating that only milk or sparkling, still or…
Read More »As if it’s not enough of a burden to fight local, state & federal government efforts to endlessly increase taxes on consumers across the country, now the international community is putting in its two cents! Recall that former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg got the ball rolling with his 2012 proposal to ban outright…
Read More »The California Assembly is considering the latest sugary drink legislation, AB-2782, a bill that will require distributors to pay $.02 per ounce into a new government fund to fight obesity. The bill, summarized here and pending in the Assembly Health Committee, was slated this past week for a public hearing which was ultimately postponed. It…
Read More »New Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney included a $.03 cent per ounce tax on sugary drinks as an integral revenue component for his first budget as Mayor of the City of Brotherly Love. Kenney, who opposed the $.02 soda tax that his predecessor Mayor Michael Nutter had proposed, didn’t take long to change his stripes into…
Read More »The National Commission on Hunger released its final report, “Freedom from Hunger: An Achievable Goal for the United States of America” earlier this week and in it recommended that sugar-sweetened drinks be excluded from the list of items eligible for purchase with Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. The recommendation, presented for consideration by Congress,…
Read More »Former Mayor Michael Bloomberg may be long gone from Gracie Mansion, but some of his wacky policies just won’t go away. Recall that the former mayor passed a ban on the sale of sugary drinks of 16 ounces or more at certain, but not all, establishments back in 2012. The ordinance was challenged in the…
Read More »There was both good news and bad for franchise owners coming out of the Golden State this week as the full California Assembly passed AB 525, the Franchise Relations Act, which will help restore some balance to the franchise relationship. Just two days later, the Los Angeles City Council, by a 14 – 1 vote,…
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As though minimum wage battles at the local, county and state levels were not challenging enough, there were a number of other issues decided on various state and municipal ballots that members should be aware of. Staying on the west coast for a moment, making headlines on another issue this week, Berkeley, CA voters approved…
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October 1 is notable in North Carolina as a day when many newly enacted laws become effective and this year, there are two in particular to which we would call your attention. The first allows licensed gun owners with legal conceal and carry status to enter any bar or restaurant even while carrying a concealed…
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