Minority Nonprofits Join Fight Against N.Y. Soda Restriction

Hispanic and African-American organizations that have received financial support from beverage firms are teaming up with the industry in opposing New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s proposed ban on the sale of super-size sugary drinks, writes The New York Times.

The New York chapter of the NAACP and the Hispanic Federation filed a brief in favor of the industry’s court fight to block the soda ban, which was struck down by a state judge earlier this week. The measure aims to tackle obesity, which is particularly prevalent in minority communities.

Beverage giants such as Pepsi and Coca-Cola have given tens of millions of dollars in the past decade to civil-rights, health, education, and business groups representing or serving minorities, according to a Times review of charity and other records. Black and Hispanic organizations have lobbied against higher taxes and stricter regulations on soda sales in several cities, calling such measures discriminatory, paternalistic, or ineffective.