By Lee Kyung-min
Seoul City is moving to remove sugary fizzy drinks from vending machines in public buildings.
The Seoul Metropolitan Government (SMG) said Tuesday that will restrict soda sales at public facilities starting in November.
Seoul is the first municipality to adopt the measure designed to improve people’s health. The central government earlier banned soda sales near schools last year.
More than 550 vending machines at 240 public office buildings in the city will not have soda, including City Hall, district offices and public community health centers. The sales ban will be applied immediately from November for 320 machines directly managed by the city government, and will gradually be applied for the rest managed by private subcontractors.
Fizzy drinks without sugar will not be subject to the ban.
The SMG also recommended subway operators replace sodas with other drinks at vending machines at subway stations. It will put up warning signs on vending machines at the stations about health hazards that can be caused by excessive sugar intake, while encouraging people to drink water when thirsty rather than soda.
“The measure is aimed at preventing obesity caused by excessive sugar intake,” a city official said. “A 250-millileter can of soda contains up to 32.8 grams of sugar, equivalent to 10 spoonfuls of sugar. Sugar is one of the major causes of diseases including tooth decay, diabetes and obesity.”
She said an increasing number of youngsters drink sugary beverages without considering the long-term consequences of such a habit. “We hope this measure will help deter the habit.”
An official from Lotte Chilsung Beverage, a local beverage manufacturer, said it is monitoring the situation to see whether the new measure will hurt profits, adding that it plans to come up with follow-up measures soon.