If we want to get serious about obesity, it starts with education – not taxes and regulation.  That’s why we are working with elected officials who see the public policy debate moving past taxes and bans and on to real solutions.  And they’re not alone in our thinking.

An editorial in this morning’s The Tribune – out of San Luis Obispo, Calif. – condemns soda tax legislation introduced this session in the California State Senate, saying:

“Obesity is a huge problem in California, and we commend [State Sen. Bill] Monning for attempting to do something about it. However, we believe his soda tax is intrinsically unfair and could wind up pouring billions into programs that may have little or no effect.

We urge Monning to drop the proposal. Arbitrarily slapping a penny-an-ounce tax on drinks first and deciding how to spend it later is a poor use of consumers’ dollars.”

The bottom line is that there are better ways to address obesity, and our industry is proud to be putting real action behind many of those ideas.  Through our leadership initiatives – School Beverage Guidelines, Clear on Calories and the Calories Count™ Vending Program – we are helping address obesity while also educating consumers about how to balance calories and the importance of physical activity and exercise.  These are all efforts that will have a real and lasting impact.  To learn more, visit DeliveringChoices.org.