By Jeff Deminski:
While many people have been up in arms about the attempted ban on large soft drinks, maybe there is some use for this law after all in a different form.
A state judge has halted New York City's ban on large size sugary drinks a day before it was to become law while Mayor Mike Bloomberg vows to appeal and urged businesses to comply with the law even if it is not being enforced.
Opponents of the city's plan to crack down on supersized, sugary drinks have asked a judge to delay enforcement of it, saying beverage makers and sellers shouldn't have to spend millions of dollars to comply until a court rules on whether the measure is legal.
Soft drink makers, restaurateurs and other businesses are suing to block New York City's move to end the sale of super-sized, sugary drinks in many eateries. The American Beverage Association and others sued the city Friday. A City Hall spokesman says the lawsuit is baseless and health officials had authority for the regulation.
One of New York City's most ambitious efforts to prod residents to live healthier appears poised to pass as a health panel takes up a plan to cut down sales of big-sized sodas and other sugary drinks.
The mayor of Cambridge has proposed limiting the size of soda and sugar-sweetened beverages sold in city restaurants, saying she was inspired by a similar measure in New York City.