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The New York State Commissioner of Health, Dr. Richard Daines, is going to break it down for you. Yes, that tax on non-diet soda that New York Governor David Paterson is proposing feels a bit heavy-handed in these difficult economic times. Yes, it seems silly (and statist!) to try and direct people’s consumption habits. But listen up: Americans drink roughly six cans of soda more per week than they did in 1970. That translates to 13 pounds of straight sugar and 21,000 additional calories per year! I learned that and more from Dr. Daines and his awesome visual aides in the video below. (Courtesy of the U.S. Food Policy blog.) I encourage you to take a look.
