Don't Supersize NYC: The War on Soda and Fries Continues

New York City’s health department does not want fries with that. Or with anything else. In fact, the agency would prefer that its residents don’t bother with fast food and soda altogether — and certainly not in bigger sizes.

A new set of subway posters, printed in both English and Spanish, illustrate “the steady increase in sizes of soda cups and sleeves of French fries against backdrops of unhealthy people, including a diabetic man who is missing most of one leg," as the New York Times notes. The image, as seen at right, draws attention to the amputated leg.

The objective of the city's latest public health campaign is to show how obesity and diabetes have grown as issues at the same time that serving sizes have increased, and their devastating consequences. 

“The portion sizes that are marketed are often much more than humans need,” stated Dr. Thomas Farley, the city’s health commissioner, taking a cue from his boss — New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, whose administration is a veteran of shockvertising to grab the public's attention.

Not surprisingly, the American Beverage Association doesn’t think the Bloomberg team is playing fair.

“Portion control is indeed an important piece of the solution to obesity,” said Stefan Friedman, a spokesman for the association, to the Times. “But instead of utilizing scare tactics, the beverage industry is offering real solutions like smaller portioned containers and calorie labels that show the number of calories in the full container, right up front, to help people choose products and sizes that are right for them and their families.”

Of course, New York isn't the only U.S. city to campaign against soft drinks and fast food, with Boston and Los Angeles introducing recent anti-obesity campaigns similarly designed to promote health eating and dump sugary drinks down the drain.