Soda fans in San Francisco may be disappointed to find their favorite Pepsi and Coke products replaced with healthier 100 percent juice and soy milk in vending machines on city property.
San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom issued an executive order in April banning the sugary beverages, as well as sports drinks and artificially sweetened water, but the ban has only recently begun to take effect. Instead of soda, vending machines can only carry water, diet soda, 100 percent fruit juice and soy or rice milk. Under the new regulations, diet soda can also comprise only 25 percent of the beverages offered and juice choices cannot contain any added sweeteners.
While the executive order applies to any new vending machines, vending machines already under contract will be exempt.
"There's a direct link between what people eat and drink and the obesity and health care crises in this country," Newsom spokesman Tony Winnicker said to the San Francisco Chronicle. "It's entirely appropriate and not at all intrusive for city government to take steps to discourage the sale of sugary sodas on city property."
The ban is part of the administration’s attempt to improve the health of San Franciscans. Other methods reducing the city’s obesity rate include the Shape Up San Francisco exercise program and nine planned Sunday Streets events, in which various roads around the city will be closed to promote outdoor activities.
"This is not about the soda police or a crackdown on soda," Winnicker said to the Chronicle. "People absolutely remain free to choose to drink unhealthy sugary sodas anywhere they want."
