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New York City’s effort to outlaw soft drinks larger than 16 ounces is leading soda companies to display the calorie listings for drinks in some vending machines. Here’s a hint: The diet pops have the least calories.

To avoid government limits treating consumers like children, producers feel compelled to implement information campaigns that treat consumers like morons. Regulators seem to think Americans don’t know that 20-ounce sodas are sugary.

They even have studies to bolster their case. The New England Journal of Medicine published three studies last month linking sugar-sweetened beverages to weight gain. Stop the presses!

In spite of the PR moves and countermoves, anti-soda initiatives are unlikely to do much to improve health outcomes. Beverage makers note caloric intake from sugar-sweetened drinks declined more than 20 percent between 2001 and 2010, yet obesity rates continued to rise.

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