Lal Barak, owner of Crown Fried Chicken at Lexington Avenue & East 116th Street, talks to Melissa about how Mayor Bloomberg’s soda ban would hurt his business. (PHOTO CREDIT: DNAinfo/Jeff Mays)
Melissa participated in a walking tour of East Harlem last Wednesday with reporters and the American Beverage Association to see how the soda ban would potentially affect local businesses. After speaking one-on-one with restaurant owners, all previous concerns about the ban have only been further reinforced.
The ban will cover soda fountain drinks and teas at any establishment that receives a letter grade from the city’s Health Department. That list includes restaurants, fast-food restaurants, delis, movie theaters, sports arenas and food carts that will be prohibited from selling sugary drinks that are larger than 16 ounces. However, this does not prevent consumers from going next door to where they’re eating to purchase a large soda at a grocery store or bodega. That is the major concern for many local East Harlem establishments – most of which are sandwiched between grocery stores, delis, and bodegas.
“This is just a distraction,” Melissa said about the proposed ban. “East Harlem has the highest proportion of obese adults in New York City and nearly half of our residents report not exercising at all. We should be focusing on changing our communities’ attitudes towards health and that starts with enforcing mandatory physical education in public schools and increasing access to fresh, healthy foods. Only 3% of bodegas in East Harlem carry fresh vegetables. We need to get to the root of the problem and stop focusing on the size of a cup of soda.”
Read more about the walking tour in The Village Voice [Warning: language not appropriate for children], DNAinfo, Crain’s, El Diaro and Manhattan Times.
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Concrete Safaris still has spots left in their East Harlem Summer Camp for children 7 to 11 years old. Camp has already started but runs until August 24th. This is perfect for an active and creative child. Their days will be filled with gardening, swimming, running, cycling, fishing, hiking, media projects, art, and more. Plus, every Friday is a field trip! Concrete Safaris prides themselves on empowering youth to be healthy leaders through green exercise programs that enrich the mind, body, community and environment.
