Less than 24 hours before it was set to take effect, a judge has ruled the city’s sugary drink ban invalid, according to reports.
On Monday, Supreme Court Justice Milton Tingling put a stop to the law that, starting tomorrow, would have prohibited businesses around the city from serving sugary drinks with more than 25 calories per eight ounces in sizes larger than 16 ounces.
“The court ruling provides a sigh of relief to New Yorkers and thousands of small businesses in New York City that would have been harmed by this arbitrary and unpopular ban. With this ruling behind us, we look forward to collaborating with city leaders on solutions that will have a meaningful and lasting impact on the people of New York City,” said Chris Gindlesperger, spokesperson for the American Beverage Association and co-plaintiffs Teamsters Local 812, Korean-American Grocers Association of New York, National Association of Theatre Owners of New York State, National Restaurant Association and New York Statewide Coalition of Hispanic Chambers of Commerce.
The ruling, however, doesn’t mean that the city is giving up on its public health initiative.
“We plan to appeal the sugary drinks decision as soon as possible, and we are confident the measure will ultimately be upheld,” the NYC Mayor’s Office said on Twitter.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg, weight loss groups and other supporters pushed the controversial ban as a way to fight the city’s raising obesity rate. But establishments that were subject to the ban, such as restaurants, movie theatres, coffee places and delis, believed it would have hurt them financially.
Those businesses would have had three months to comply before facing fines.
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