Baltimore city officials are considering whether businesses selling soda and other sugary drinks should be required to post warning signs about the drinks, reports the Associated Press. Councilman Nick Mosby and Health Commissioner Leana Wen “are following the lead of San Francisco after a similar measure was adopted in that city.” The proposal would require businesses to display signs telling customers that sugary drinks contribute to tooth decay, obesity and diabetes. Businesses that don’t post the signs could be fined $500 under the proposal.
In related news, although it has never received any funds from the beverage industry, the Boulder County Board of Health “approved a resolution prohibiting the agency from receiving in-kind or cash donations from the suger-sweetened beverage industry,” reports the Longmont (Colorado) Times-Call. “The move is thought to be the first of its kind in the nation.” The resolution was intended to show the agency will be unbiased in its policies. Health officials said 45 percent of adults in the county were overweight or obese.