California city shows 52% drop in soda consumption after sugary drink tax

BERKELEY, Calif. (WPVI) -- The first American city to enact a sugary beverage tax shows it can help people break the soda habit.

In 2014, Berkeley, California enacted a penny-an-ounce tax on sugar-sweetened drinks. Within months, consumption in the city dropped.

And that decline is holding.

A new survey shows that between 2014 and 2017, Berkeley residents drank half as many sweetened beverages, but 29 percent more water than they did before the law.

This is the first study on the long-term impact of local soda tax laws.

Berkeley hopes to see declines in obesity and related diseases like diabetes in the years ahead.

Philadelphia and other cities with soda taxers will be watching

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