April 2015

Dear Partner,

Project LEAN Endorses Warning Labels on Sugary Drinks Bill and needs your help

SB 203 (Monning)

California's obesity and diabetes epidemic is taking an enormous toll on families and on the public health as well as driving up healthcare costs. An estimated $13 billion was spent on diabetes in 2010.

A vast amount of scientific research shows that soda and other sugary drinks are the single largest factor in the obesity epidemic. Furthermore, liquid sugar has a unique role in contributing to the skyrocketing number of diabetes cases in our state.

Consumers have a right to know about the unique health problems associated with soda and other sugary drinks. That's why California Project LEAN has endorsed the sugar-sweetened beverages safety warning bill SB 203, sponsored by Senator Monning and the California Center for Public Health Advocacy. It's a common sense approach to combat this growing health crisis. It provides vital information to California families about the dangers related to what they drink, so they can make informed choices about what they purchase.

Everything you need to know about this groundbreaking piece of legislation, including draft letter of support, can be found at: http://www.publichealthadvocacy.org/resources/warninglabel/sodawarninglabel.html

The bill will be going before the Senate Health Committee next week. If you can, call or send a note of support this week, especially to:

Senators:

Hall:

Phone: (916) 651-4035 or

http://sd35.senate.ca.gov/contact

Nguyen:

Phone: (916) 651-4034 or

http://district34.cssrc.us

Roth:

Phone: (916) 651-4031 or

http://sd31.senate.ca.gov/send-e-mail

Thank you for your support.

About California Project LEAN

California Project LEAN, a program of the Public Health Institute, works to advance nutrition and physical activity policy in schools and communities in order to prevent obesity and its associated chronic diseases. California Project LEAN efforts center on youth, parent and resident empowerment approaches, Policy and Environmental change Strategies (PSE), and community-based solutions that improve nutrition and physical activity environments. For more information, go to www.CaliforniaProjectLEAN.org.

About the Public Health Institute

The Public Health Institute, an independent nonprofit organization, is dedicated to promoting health, well-being and quality of life for people throughout California, across the nation and around the world. For more information, go to www.phi.org.