California Senate passes bill for warning labels on sugary drinks

Today’s consumers are looking for more transparency in the products they buy, especially with regard to food and drinks. As a reflection of that trend, the California Senate recently passed the Sugar-Sweetened Beverages Safety Warning Act earlier this week.

According to FoodSafetyNews.com. the bill will require any sweetened non-alcoholic beverage that contains 75 calories or more per 12 fluid ounces to carry a warning label easily visible to consumers. The label must display the words “Drinking beverages with added sugar(s) contributes to obesity, diabetes, and tooth decay.”

The bill was co-sponsored by the California Center for Public Health Advocacy (CCPHA), California Medical Association, the California Black Health Network and the Latino Coalition for a Healthy California and introduced by Senator Bill Monning. 

“We got the bill through the Senate… We’re thrilled as can be,” CCPHA Executive Director Harold Goldstein told media outside the “Soda Summit” in Washington, D.C. last week. “It provides an authoritative statement at the same time as it educates consumers.”

A poll in February by FoodSafetyNews.com found that 74 percent of California voters support having the warning labels applied to sugary beverages. 

The trend towards more transparency of the effects of harmful ingredients and increased labeling requirements for food and beverage products seems to be picking up steam all over the nation. This blog has previously reported on Vermont’s efforts to require labeling of products that contain GMOs, and now that initiative has spread to other states, including Massachusetts, Oregon and California. 

It is critical that food and beverage manufacturers of all sizes be able to keep up with current labeling requirements. Investing in in-house product label printing can drastically reduce overhead while ensuring that an organization is able to quickly adjust to changes in regulation and consumer demands.