Skip to main content

San Francisco Wants to Add Warning Labels to Soda and Sugary Drinks

Support Provided By
Image by <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/vox_efx/3063389109>Vox Efx</a>/Flickr/<a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/">Creative Commons</a>

After a failed soda tax initiative last November, backers of San Francisco's Proposition E are aiming to pass new legislation that would require warning labels on advertising for soda and other sugary drinks.

In doing so, San Francisco would become the first city in the country to mandate such a warning. While not as dire as the warnings on cigarette cartons, the proposed labeling would read:

"WARNING: Drinking beverages with added sugar(s) contributes to obesity, diabetes, and tooth decay. This is a message from the City and County of San Francisco."

Supervisors Scott Wiener, Malia Cohen, and Eric Mar (who were the key backers of the soda tax) propose putting the label on ads that appear on all surfaces within the city, including billboards and sports stadiums. They also want to ban such ads on city property including Muni buses, benches and shelters, and prohibit city departments from spending money on sugary beverages.

The law would not apply to vendors on city property, such as the cafe in City Hall, nor to media the city has no authority over, such as TV, radio and newspapers. Retailers that allow soda advertising in their stores without warning labels would have 30 days to remove the ads or face a fine.

The push for new legislation is a response to what proponents of the soda tax consider a small victory, despite the law failing to pass last year (as a two-thirds vote was needed). Proposition E still garnered a 55% majority and seemed to serve as proof that residents are in favor of restricting sodas and the like.

Support Provided By
Read More
Women strikers wear purple and hold black and yellow signs that read in large block print "PATIENT CARE IS IN CRISIS" and "PATIENT NEEDS NOT CORPORATE GREED"

Kaiser Strike Begins as 68,000 Employees Stage Walkout at California Hospitals

More than 75,000 Kaiser Permanente employees initiating the largest healthcare worker strike in U.S. history when they walked off the job the morning of October 4, 2023. Contract talks continue, but some health services will be delayed in the meantime.
An elderly patient in a hospital bed in a hallway reaches out with her right hand to touch the elbow of the masked nurse who leans over to care for her, carrying equipment in the crook of her arm.

Miles de californianos pierden Medi-Cal cada mes. Qué hacer si pierde la cobertura

Decenas de millas de californianos están perdiendo su seguro médico cada mes a medida que el estado reanuda la verificación de la elegibilidad de las personas para Medi-Cal, que suspendió durante la emergencia de salud pública de COVID-19.
An elderly patient in a hospital bed in a hallway reaches out with her right hand to touch the elbow of the masked nurse who leans over to care for her, carrying equipment in the crook of her arm.

Here's What To Do if You're Among the Thousands of Californians Losing Medi-Cal Every Month

The state is once again checking eligibility for Medi-Cal, which it suspended during the COVID-19 public health emergency. That means tens of thousands of Californians are losing health insurance every month since April 2023. Here's what to do if it happens to you.