Our community has always been a national leader on important issues – and in 2014, voters overwhelmingly passed Measure D, a 1-cent-per-ounce tax on sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs), paid for by soda companies. The tax requires the beverage industry, which makes billions of dollars every year selling sugary drinks like soda and sports drinks, to pay a small fee per ounce of sugary drinks sold. The science is absolutely clear – sugary drinks directly contribute to costly diseases like type 2 diabetes and ongoing health problems like childhood obesity. Within just three years after the tax went into effect, Berkeley saw a 52% reduction in SSB consumption and a 29% increase in water consumption. We stood up to Big Soda to protect the health of Berkeley children and all Berkeley residents, and now we have to ensure that progress is not lost. The tax generates over $1.15 million annually, funding community- and school-based critical programs that aim to reduce SSB consumption and raise awareness about their harmful health effects. Vote YES on Measure Z to extend the tax, and support a healthy future for Berkeley children and our community.
