By: Jennifer Aufill

On Tuesday, Dr. Wen joined a coalition of health advocates, parents and community leaders at city hall for a hearing on legislation that would require warning labels for sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) on advertisements, menus, and at the point-of-sale within the city. This effort, highlighted across the country including by CBS Evening News, The Wall Street Journal, The Baltimore Sun, the Baltimore Business Journal, and many others, aims to help Baltimore residents make more informed decisions, reduce caloric intake, encourage a healthier diet, and improve overall health.

Baltimore would become to second jurisdiction in the country and the first on the east coast to require these warning labels.

“At the Health Department, we see sugary drinks as a health issue and a justice issue,” Dr. Wen said. “We can set an example for the state and the nation,” Dr. Wen added. “This bill can help us fight an epidemic.”

U.S. Rep. Elijah Cummings called the legislation a “simple and modest proposal.” Children and parents need to be educated about the health effects of their sugary drink consumption, “or we as leaders have committed malpractice,” he said. Councilman Nick Mosby reiterated that this bill is not an attack on self-determination or business, but a means of addressing preventable life-threatening diseases.

The evidence that sugar-sweetened beverages contribute to obesity, diabetes, and tooth decay is overwhelming. A study published by Tufts University last year estimated that SSBs cause over 180,000 deaths per year worldwide. Pediatrics also published a study this month that showed how music celebrities who are popular among adolescents are frequently used to endorse unhealthy food and beverages. It is known that exposure to unhealthy food and beverage advertisements are associated with excessive consumption. Studies also show that advertisements for SSBs are disproportionately marketed to lower-income neighborhoods communities of color.

William Marbury, a shareholder of The Coca-Cola Company, testified that as a father and a teacher, “I cannot support the predatory marketing and deceptive practices that Coca-Cola and the other beverage companies practice.” He emphasized that beverage companies make an entire line of products, including healthier choices, and that placing a warning label directed towards SSBs is reasonable. “I see my own children targeted” he said. “These drinks irrefutably cause diabetes and other lifelong diseases…these diseases are killing our children.”

Antoine Dow, the owner of A & Ms. Dot’s Grocery, at 1600 Druid Hill Ave., said that he was motivated to testify before the City Council Health Committee because obesity is “rampant” in his community. As a storeowner, he has already taken steps to provide healthier menu options in his deli and grocery store, but he believes that there is more that we can do. “As a business owner in Baltimore, I think it’s my responsibility to stand up for health in my community,” he said. He believes that in just a few years, warning labels will be the norm.

Following a four hour hearing with dozens of community testimony, the Council’s Health Committee will next take the proposed legislation to a work session, which will allow the full committee to make recommendations to the bill before reconsideration. The bill will then be reviewed by the entire City Council in the coming weeks.