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NYC Soda Ban Approved

No large sugary drinks at restaurants.

Mayor Bloomberg really wants New Yorkers to be skinny. First, the calorie crusader required chain restaurants to post calorie counts on menus. And then on Thursday, Bloomberg’s plan to ban the sale of large sodas and other sugary drinks at restaurants and movie theaters has been approved by the New York City Board of Health. The ambitious initiative—which six in 10 New Yorkers say is a bad idea—prohibits selling sweetened drinks (nondiet sodas, energy drinks, presweetened iced teas) in containers greater than 16 ounces. But don’t worry, Big Gulp fans. The restrictions are only on establishments that receive inspection grades from the health department, which does not include convenience stores like 7-Eleven.