Soda Ban Actually Makes People Drink More, Study Finds

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg's proposed ban on the sale of sodas larger than 16 ounces did not go through, and now new research shows that the ban actually led to consumers drinking more soda.

The proposed ban prompted beverage makers to sell sodas in smaller packages and bundle them as a single unit which encouraged consumers to buy more soda  and take more calories than they would have consumed without the ban, according to a study published Wednesday in the journal PLOS ONE.

The study tested the effects of limiting drink sizes on people's soda consumption by offering them three different menus. Some of the menus offered a traditional sampling of 16, 24 and 32 ounce drinks priced at $1.59, $1.79 and $1.99, respectively.

Others offered a choice of a 16 ounce drink for $1.59, a "bundle" of two 12 ounce drinks for $1.79, and a bundle of two 16 ounce drinks for $1.99. A third menu type offered only 16 ounce drinks for $1.59.

Participants bought more soda from the "bundle" menu than the traditional menu - about 3 more ounces on average - and about 12 more ounces than from the one-size menu.

The results reveal "a potential unintended consequence that may need to be considered in future policymaking," wrote the study authors, psychologists from UC San Diego.

"The motivation for this study was inspired by the proposed regulations to restrict soda sizes," said Brent M. Wilson, lead author of the study.

Cities that want to enact soda bans should consider the unintended effects of what business owners might do in order to maintain their profits, the study concluded.

"When only small drinks are offered, people really do buy a lot less," Wilson said. "Consumers did what policymakers were hoping. However, business managers might do something different."

"Businesses are going to react in some way or another in order to maximize profit," he continued. "There are many different ways to construct menus and probably get the same result we got."