Fight Over Bloomberg's Soda Ban Gets A Little Bit Racial

Fight Over Bloomberg’s Soda Ban Gets Racial
CHANGES COMPANY CANS OF SODA ARE FROM TO DR PEPPER SNAPPLE GROUP, NOT PEPSICO INC. - A Monday, June 11, 2012, photo shows bottles of Pepsi Next and Pepsi Max displayed amongst cans of ten-calorie sodas from Dr Pepper Snapple Group in New York. Coke and Pepsi are chasing after the sweet spot: a soda with no calories, no artificial sweeteners and no funny aftertaste. The world's top soft drink companies hope that's the elusive trifecta that will silence health concerns about soda and reverse the decline in consumption of carbonated drinks. But coming up with such a formula could still be years away. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)
CHANGES COMPANY CANS OF SODA ARE FROM TO DR PEPPER SNAPPLE GROUP, NOT PEPSICO INC. - A Monday, June 11, 2012, photo shows bottles of Pepsi Next and Pepsi Max displayed amongst cans of ten-calorie sodas from Dr Pepper Snapple Group in New York. Coke and Pepsi are chasing after the sweet spot: a soda with no calories, no artificial sweeteners and no funny aftertaste. The world's top soft drink companies hope that's the elusive trifecta that will silence health concerns about soda and reverse the decline in consumption of carbonated drinks. But coming up with such a formula could still be years away. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)

Time is running out to drink sodas as big as babies, with the city's ban on sugary drinks over sixteen ounces at certain stores and movie theaters set to start in March. As the clock ticks, those who stand to lose money because of the new rules, along with those who see Mayor Bloomberg's quick and quiet "health panel" as undemocratic, are counting on legal challenges. Joining the charge led by the soda lobby and movie theaters at this crucial juncture are the NAACP and the Hispanic Federation, which argue that the ban unfairly affects minority businesses and "freedom of choice in low-income communities."

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