(Newser)
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Michael Bloomberg wants to boot big, sugary drinks from the Big Apple. The New York City mayor has unveiled a plan to ban the sale of any cup or bottle of sweetened drink larger than 16 ounces at restaurants, arenas, movie theaters, and street carts, reports the New York Times. The 16-ounce limit—about the size of a medium coffee—would not apply to diet drinks, fruit juices, milkshakes, or alcoholic drinks.
Public health officials nationwide are "wringing their hands" about the obesity problem, but New York City "is not about wringing your hands; it’s about doing something," Bloomberg told reporters. He denied that the ban—which would be the first of its kind in the nation—would limit consumer choices, noting that they could always buy two small drinks instead of one big one. The New York City Beverage Association, unsurprisingly, slammed the proposal, saying the city's health department has an "unhealthy obsession with attacking soft drinks."
