18 June 2012, by Meigom

In the past month the two biggest cities in America – New York City and Los Angeles – have proposed "controversial" laws that improve health and help the environment.

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg plans to propose a far-reaching municipal ban on sales of sugary beverages by restaurants, mobile food carts, movie theaters and delis. While this has been met with approval from some groups such as parents and educators, there is strong opposition to it by businesses, who are looking at the bottom line only.

Mayor Bloomberg’s proposal defines sugary drinks as beverages that are "sweetened with sugar or another caloric sweetener that contain more than 25 calories per 8 fluid ounces and contain less than 51 percent milk or milk substitute by volume as an ingredient." The proposal would impact drinks sold in containers larger than 16 ounces, but would not impact the sale of diet soda or dairy-based drinks.

This is not the first time that Mayor Bloomberg has sought to legislate better health for residents of NYC. He started a campaign to cut down on salt, AND a ban on trans fats in restaurant food, as well as a requirement that chain restaurants display calorie counts. Then there's Bloomberg's ongoing campaign against cigarettes. High five Dude!

But does this feel too much like Big Brother?
A government watching our every move. But all this wouldn't be necessary if businesses had a better track record, and had a more responsible approach to money making...

Los Angeles became the largest city in the US to approve a ban on plastic bags at supermarket checkout lines, handing a hard-fought victory to environmentalists and promising to change the way many in Southern California do their grocery shopping.

Once the plastic bag ban ordinance comes into effect, larger stores will have six months to stop handing out plastic bags and smaller markets will have 12 months. This will cover approximately 7,500 stores. After that, retailers would be required to charge 10 cents for each paper bag they provide customers (which is slightly higher than Hong Kong’s 50 cents per plastic bag).

The ban came after years of campaigning by clean-water advocates who said it would reduce the amount of trash in landfills, as well as the region’s waterways and the ocean. They estimate that Californians use 12 billion plastic bags a year and that less than five percent of the state’s plastic bags are recycled.

The main opposition to the ban comes from the American Progressive Bag Alliance, who warns that the ban would cause job loss, higher food prices, and pose health and even environmental risks. BOO!


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