Can you Pass the NYC Legal Test for Junk Food?

True or False:
____1. The purchase of junk food, not including drinks, has been banned in NYC.
____2. Junk food has immediate negative health effects on the consumer.
____3. Soda is legal in NYC.


The answers to these questions are false, but the last one is a trick question. Although the sale of soda may be entirely legal in other parts of the country, this beverage cannot be sold in cup sizes above 16-ounces in NYC. How can New Yorkers who have the same rights as other Americans to drink legal substances be prohibited from consuming soda that is not spiked– drugged or mixed with alcohol? Mayor Michael Bloomberg recently proposed a regulation banning the sale of any size sodas above 16-ounces in NYC in an effort to reduce obesity among New Yorkers. However, these measures have been unpopular with the public and have proven ineffective in reducing the consumption of soda. If public health officials were to publicize more positive images of reasons not to be obese and demonstrate how weight could hinder opportunities to have fun, more teens may listen.

Have you heard of the Public Relations Teen Challenge and the public campaigns that have taken place in NYC to advocate for the fight against obesity? The challenge is open to those who want to develop award-winning slogans, jingles, dance routines, posters, brochures, comic strips, and new characters for the fight against obesity. The contest accepts entries from individuals and groups of up to five people. Prizes, which are awarded to the top ten contestants, are scholarships to gyms and art programs for students in the arts such as music, literature, and performing as well as autographed t-shirts, music CDs, and new electronics. The grand prize for one team is being able to spend a day with a campaigning celebrity after events that will take place once the challenge is over.

What a great time it will be in NYC when teens get to go to events in special venues! The sponsors of these events are companies who sell athletic wear, gym equipment, fitness products, health bars, juices, and fruit. They will pay for the prizes and may even ask to use award-winning ideas in their commercials and advertisements. The special events, which are open to all participants of the Public Relations Teen Challenge, will take place on different dates in Central Park, Roosevelt Island, and the Polo Grounds. Through these special events and prizes, the sponsors and the celebrities participating will show why it’s fun to shed obesity ounces and enjoy the outdoors in NYC.

Did you get the memo with the invitation to promote the anti-obesity campaign by inspiring creative adolescents? Maybe it only went to NYC citizens because the campaigns wanted to keep the events exclusive? I have been checking different websites and have asked my friends about the events. No one who lives in my area has said that they received anything from NYC. Perhaps even NYC citizens haven’t heard of these measures taken by anti-obesity advocates. I wonder where we teens come into this because aren’t we the population in which obesity is easiest to develop and most difficult to overcome? Surely we are on someone’s list– and someone is voicing our ideas. Who is speaking our language and communicating it to others?

Update: The ordinance that was proposed by Mayor Bloomberg has been stopped by Justice Milton A. Tingling of State Supreme Court in Manhattan. He believed that the Board of Health had gone over its abilities to approve the plan and that City Council was the only body that could approve such a large plan. He also stated that the ordinance would provide an “uneven enforcement, even within a particular city block, much less the city as a whole.” I believe that Mayor Bloomberg is not one to give up on such a large endeavor. I wonder how the mayor could persuade more people, especially teens, to approve of his ideas through activities in which many people can participate. Any suggestions?