Sweet Labels Attack Sugary Drinks

BARRY CHEUNG
Staff Writer

On Feb. 13, California senator William Monning introduced the California Sugar Sweetened Beverage Safety Warning Bill (SB 1000), which requires bottling companies to place warning labels on sodas, energy drinks and any other types of sweetened drinks with 75 calories or more.

State bureaucrats conduct checks on the businesses to check if labels are utilized. If a business is noncompliant, then the distribution of its product will be halted.

“The goal of the warning […] is to give consumers the right to know […] well-established medical impacts from consuming these beverages. We’re talking about a public health epidemic that will take more lives than gun violence,” Monning said, according to the website Food Manufacturing.

This bill has been backed by many health organizations, such as the California Medical Association and the California Center for Public Health Advocacy. Drinking these sweetened drinks can lead to health disorders, such as obesity, diabetes and tooth decay. According to the Central Disease Control and Prevention, half of the U.S. population consumes sugary drinks on any given day.

However, some believe that the warning labels are superfluous and will not affect the rate of soda consumption.

“[I]t would be unnecessary to have warning labels because of all the ingredients that are listed on the can already,” sophomore Brian Nguyen said.