06/18/2012
Bloomberg, Sugar, and Obesity—Posner
"Bloomberg’s proposal is widely criticized, not only on the shallow ground that it interferes with freedom of choice, but on the more substantial ground that it can’t have much effect, since the same sugared drinks can be sold in smaller containers. But this misses two important points. The first is that the only reason for selling a product in different-size containers is that there are consumer preferences for the different container sizes; for it would be cheaper to sell all one’s product in identical containers. This suggests that if the sale of sugared drinks in big containers is forbidden, there will be at least a slight drop in the purchase of those drinks and hence in their consumption; there will not be perfect substitution of smaller containers; and this could be significant because sugared soft drinks are as I said the straightest path to obesity.
More important is the symbolic significance of Bloomberg’s proposal (if it is adopted and enforced). It is an attention getter! It tells New Yorkers that obesity is a social problem warranting government intervention, and not just a personal choice."
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