California bill requiring warning labels on sugary drinks advances

By Sharon Bernstein SACRAMENTO, California (Reuters) - A California bill to require sugary soft drinks to carry labels warning of obesity, diabetes and tooth decay passed its first legislative hurdle on Wednesday, the latest move by lawmakers nationwide aimed at persuading people to drink less soda pop. If enacted, the legislation would put California, which banned sodas and junk food from public schools in 2005, in the vanguard of a growing national movement to curb the consumption of high-caloric beverages that medical experts say are largely to blame for an epidemic of childhood obesity. "By doing nothing, we are putting Californians at risk," the bill's author, Democratic state senator Bill Monning, said at a hearing on Wednesday. "The minimal burden on industry to comply with this bill is far outweighed by the benefits." In 2012, then-New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg spearheaded a citywide ban on sales of oversized sugary soft drinks, but the move was declared illegal by a state judge after a legal challenge by makers of soft drinks and a restaurant group.



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