The Economist (May 21)
“By invading Ukraine, Vladimir Putin will destroy the lives of people far from the battlefield—and on a scale even he may regret. The war is battering a global food system.” Russia and Ukraine produce roughly 12% of all traded calories. If “the war drags on and supplies from Russia and Ukraine are limited, hundreds of millions more people could fall into poverty. Political unrest will spread, children will be stunted and people will starve.”
Tags: Battlefield, Calories, Children, Destroy, Food, Invading, Political unrest, Poverty, Putin, Russia, Starve, Stunted, Ukraine, War
Chicago Tribune (September 5)
“It will come as a consolation to some Chicagoans that when they struggle to shed weight, they are up against powerful forces beyond their control.” Research has shown that fans of losing teams consume 16% more saturated fat and 10% percent more calories following losses. “For Chicago, this is apocalyptically bad news…. We have not one but two baseball teams to influence our dietary habits — both of which, right now, are in last place.”
New York Times (March 13)
New Yorkers will still be able to buy their supersized drinks. A court struck down Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s ban on large servings of sugary drinks, the day before it was to be enforced. “The big-drinks ban was ill conceived and poorly constructed from the start.” Instead, the Mayor should work to “impose a penny-per-ounce tax on sugary drinks. Just as taxes helped cut the use of cigarettes, taxes could help cut the public’s indulgence in high-calorie, giant drinks.”
Tags: Ban, Bloomberg, Calories, Cigarettes, New York, Supersized, Tax
Time (September 13)
“On Thursday the New York City Health Department became the first in the nation to ban the sale of sugared beverages larger than 16 oz. at restaurants, mobile food carts, sports arenas and movie theaters.” Mayor Bloomberg was a strong proponent of the ban. Despite many objections, the health board is “convinced that banning mega-sized drinks would be an important step toward helping consumers not only to drink fewer calories, but also hopefully to make healthier changes to their diet more broadly.”
Tags: Calories, Diet, Drink ban, Health Dept., New York
