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Lots of news this week: On the verge of adopting the first big-city soda tax, Philadelphia has found a cutting edge way to pay for universal preschool and lift kids out of poverty. Baltimore is looking to use warning labels to help address the unequal burden of health impacts felt in less advantaged communities. Those cities and others are up against a beverage industry that is borrowing heavily from the Big Tobacco playbook. Meanwhile, the newly announced changes to nutrition labels may help added sugar go the way of trans fat. Read on for more details:

Philadelphia soda tax breaks new ground

It’s not “just Berkeley” anymore. With a City Council vote yesterday, Philadelphia is paving the way for communities across the country to build on the powerful combination of well-targeted investment and people-first policy. The 1.5-cent per ounce excise tax will provide much-needed revenue for universal pre-kindergarten, rebuilding parks and recreation centers and addressing city budget issues. Read More.

Our Executive Director Jim Krieger on why this is a win

Philadelphia’s council members stood up to more than $3 million worth of beverage industry pressure to do the right thing for the long-term health and life chances of Philadelphia kids. We commend and congratulate Mayor Jim Kenney and the courageous members of the City Council for their vision and fortitude. Read More.

Supporting sugary drink warning labels in Baltimore

Baltimore’s City Council drew national attention and a vocal crowd this week for a hearing on a proposal to place warning labels on ads for sugary drinks and in places where they are sold. Approval of the plan would follow San Francisco, whose ordinance requiring health warnings on ads is under appeal. The warnings would make sure all customers learned of the threat to health, and would be a special boon for parents trying to protect their kids. Read More.

How added sugar can go the way of trans fat

If Baltimore were to adopt a warning label policy, it would join a growing trend to provide consumers with the information they need to make healthy choices. Just last month, the U.S. Food & Drug Administration acted to require listing of added sugars on the nutrition facts panel. Will the new labeling requirements put added sugar on a similar trajectory to trans fat as companies face pressure to reformulate their products? Read More.

Big Soda uses Big Tobacco’s dirty tricks against us

Anyone who was around during the battles against Big Tobacco remembers the notorious tactics: Hijacking science. Co-opting patriotism for marketing purposes. Paying celebrities millions and using cartoons to promote harmful products to kids. We are seeing all that and more from Big Soda and junk-food purveyors – but this year, the veil is starting to lift. Read More.

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Yours Truly,

David Goldberg
Healthy Food America