Beverage companies are suing the city of San Francisco, claiming the soda warning label laws violate the Constitution.
On Friday, American Beverage Association sued the city for two ordinances passed in June, which put warning labels on billboards and advertisements for sugary drinks and banned soda ads on city property. "The city is free to try to persuade consumers to share its opinions about sugar-sweetened beverages," read the lawsuit. "Instead, the city is trying to ensure that there is no free marketplace of ideas, but instead only a government-imposed, one-sided public 'dialogue' on the topic—in violation of the First Amendment."
The labels on advertisements would read:
WARNING: Drinking beverages with added sugar(s) contributes to obesity, diabetes and tooth decay.
Exceptions will be made for "vintage" signs, such as the iconic neon Coca-Cola billboard in SoMa.
According to SFGate, the ordinance banning the spending of city money on sodas is not being challenged. The California State Outdoor Advertising Association and the California Retailers Association are joining the ABA on the suit.