NEW YORK—Mayor Michael Bloomberg is hailed by many in the public health sector as a visionary who isn’t afraid to try out new things.
The large sugary drink ban, blocked by a judge on Monday, is only the latest in a series of public health initiatives Bloomberg has developed. Despite the setback, many of the mayor’s signature efforts have received fairly widespread support.
Beginning in 2002 with banning smoking from most buildings—including bars—a controversial and relatively trend-setting move at the time, Bloomberg has moved on to nutrition and exercise programs for children, and regulating the consumption of sugary drinks.
Two of Bloomberg’s most famous health initiatives started in 2007 with a ban on trans fat, which naturally occurs in small amounts in meat and dairy products, but a health risk when coming from partially hydrogenated oil that turns solid at room temperature. Next, the city began requiring chain restaurants to post calorie counts on menus— a measure that was included in the federal Affordable Care Act.
[Related: Bloomberg Confident He'll Get Large Sugary Drink Decision Overturned]
Later, several initiatives failed to pass into law—such as not letting people buy sugary drinks with food stamps.
“I just give Bloomberg a lot of credit for trying these things,” said David Levitsky, professor in the Division of Nutritional Sciences at Cornell University. “That’s more than any other mayor in any other town is doing—or any other public official—and I think we have to try these things.”
Do Initiatives Equal Success?
Levitsky, along with some others in the public health field, credit Bloomberg with using solid data to craft his initiatives, but they question their effectiveness and ability to deliver substantial results.
