Marking a first time for the United States, Berkeley's soda tax was approved by general election last Tuesday - a move that becomes a necessary first step into fighting against the high caloric value of sodas.
According to Politico, the often-progressive city in California has made history over the past elections, becoming the first American city to create a tax on these highly caloric beverages, as the obesity epidemic grows in the North American country.
While it's not the first city to try out this measure, Berkeley's soda tax is the first of its kind to actually be approved by citizens. Over two dozen cities and states have tried beforehand, but they've been beaten by the voters' love of the drinks and some heavy campaigning from companies such as Coca Cola, PepsiCo and Dr Pepper.
The Berkeley soda tax (called Measure D) is not only the first of its kind, but it happened to be widely accepted by the voters in the city. Also, it doesn't just cover drinks such as Coca Cola, but it also adds factors like the highly caloric and sugary energy drinks such as Monster or Red Bull.
However, the news of the Berkeley soda tax came with something of a warning as well: it's uncertain whether it will start a trend. At the same time as the measure was approved in the city, another big town in California turned its back on the possibility of taxing these drinks: a similar measure lost out in San Francisco.
According to The Huffington Post, the San Francisco equivalent to Measure D, called Proposition E, intended to place a tax of 2 cents per ounce on sweetened beverages, defining them as those with added sugar and more than 25 calories every 12 ounces.
While the new Berkeley soda tax might only be a small step in the fight against the obesity epidemic, it's still a way up the ladder in this respect. The law will add $0.01 per calorie on the drinks, and it will officially begin on January 1st, 2015.
