BOSTON, Sept. 20 (UPI) -- Boston health officials say they are considering curbing or even banning the sale of sugary, calorie-laden beverages in municipal buildings.
Worried about the girth of employees and visitors to government agencies, the city has brought together health, education, and housing leaders to develop a policy that hopes to reduce consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages, The Boston Globe reported Monday.
"Somebody has to take a stand, and if it isn't the government and healthcare institutions leading the way to a healthier lifestyle, who's going to do it?" Bill Walczak, head of a community health center and a member of the city's panel, said.
City officials admit curbing the availability of sodas, already banned from the city's school, could meet greater resistance than previous public health causes.
"I think we're going to run into a big issue of people saying, 'Why would you take away our sodas, why are you interfering with what we're eating and drinking?'" Barbara Ferrer, executive director of the Boston Public Health Commission, said.
"Unlike tobacco that is always harmful and if a person is smoking in the workplace it harms other people, I think people will look at sugar-sweetened beverages differently," she said.
