Soft Drink Ban in New York Not Too Popular, Poll Says

Soft drink ban impending: A poll found that New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s ban on sugary drinks isn’t too popular.

A new poll has found that New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s popularity has slipped a bit over his citywide ban on large, sugary drinks. The ban is slated to go into effect on March 12.

“The ban on large servings of sugary drinks is harder to swallow, especially among black voters who oppose the ban 60 -- 38 percent,” reads a press release from Qunnipiac University, which carried out the poll. Meanwhile, “All New York City voters are opposed 51 -- 46 percent” to the ban, it said.

While the exact relationship is not clear, Bloomberg’s approval rating is down about 3 percentage points from mid-January, the poll found.

The ban was passed in September and prevents the city’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene from allowing establishments from selling sugary drinks in excess of 16 ounces that contain more than 50 calories. The ban has been challenged by a coalition of organizations, representing small businesses and beverage makers.

But despite the soda ban, some of Bloomberg’s other policies are favored.

“Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s proposed ban on plastic foam take-out containers looks like his most popular public health initiative so far,” said Maurice Carroll, head of the Quinnipiac University Polling Institute, in a statement.

Bloomberg sought to extend the ban to New York City grocery stories. This would mean that the 7-11 Big Gulp, which are far greater than 16 ounces, would be nixed in the city, according to Pix-11. The proposal was shot down by New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who doesn’t want to get involved in Bloomberg’s ban.

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