Portion sizes and beyond–government’s legal authority to regulate food-industry practices.

The importance of obesity as a public health problem has led to a number of proposed policy solutions, some of which – such as taxes on sugar-sweetened beverages – are highly controversial and have been opposed strongly by the food industry. One such measure is the proposal by the New York City Department of Health, supported by Mayor Michael Bloomberg, to prohibit sugar-sweetened beverages from being sold in containers larger than 16 oz by restaurants, movie theaters, and mobile food vendors (venues where the health department has jurisdiction). This action and others that affect business practices of the food industry.