Proposed soda ban likely to backfire, study finds
After New York Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg unveiled his plan to ban the sale of sodas larger than 16 ounces, comedian Jon Stewart complained that the proposal "combines the draconian government overreach people love with the probable lack of results they expect."
It turns out the "Daily Show" host was on to something.
New research shows that prompting beverage makers to sell sodas in smaller packages and bundle them as a single unit actually encourages consumers to buy more soda and gulp down more calories than they would have consumed without the ban.
Not only would thirsty people drink more, but circumventing the big-drink ban by offering consumers bundles of smaller drinks also would mean more revenue for the beverage purveyors, according to a study published Wednesday in the journal PLOS ONE. The sales boost would probably offset the added cost of producing more cups, lids and straws to hold those extra drinks, the researchers found.
The results reveal "a potential unintended consequence that may need to be considered in future policymaking," wrote the study authors, psychologists from UC San Diego.
full: http://articles.latimes.com/2013/apr/11/science/la-sci-small-sodas-20130411
Warpy
(111,254 posts)You should expect a backlash of one type or another, either massive civil disobedience making the law unenforceable or the emergence of a black market.
You want less of anything, tax it. You want more of anything, subsidize it.
Get it, Mayor Bloomberg? Thundering "THOU SHALT NOT" from your mayor's desk is just not going to work, ever.
ProgressiveProfessor
(22,144 posts)He will fade away soon enough
elleng
(130,895 posts)They ALWAYS occur!
dkf
(37,305 posts)onehandle
(51,122 posts)What am I saying?
Total gun control is an eventuality, with or without Bloomberg.
ProgressiveProfessor
(22,144 posts)Bloomie will fade away soon enough. Even his 1%er money and attitude cannot thwart the will of the people over time
JayhawkSD
(3,163 posts)I would take anything these people publish with a large dose of salt. They have published some really goofy stuff.