Mike Bloomberg is a mayor with a mission. More specifically, a public health mission: Over the course of a decade he has made New York City a laboratory to test policies that manipulate the healthiness of public environments. His much-protested idea for a large-soda ban comes from a long lineage of much-protested smoking bans and trans-fat bans that have tested what, exactly, government can and cannot do to encourage healthier behaviors.
Some of Bloomberg’s ideas have proved remarkably effective in making New Yorkers healthier and become models for national policy. Some have flopped, showing little public health impact or running into trouble even getting off the ground. From smoking to soda bans, here’s a quick tour through Mayor Mike Bloomberg’s public health crusade.
- NYC first major city to ban smoking in bars and restaurants.
- Bans the use of trans-fat in all foods.
- Requires restaurants to post calorie counts.
- Proposes a voluntary effort on behalf of Americans’ food producers to reduce salt consumption by 20 percent.
- Congestion pricing for cars entering New York City.
- Limit access to sugary sodas.
keep reading to learn the impact on public health of each policy – Mayor Bloomberg Public Health: A Brief History
// Photo – Laverrue