France bans free soft drink refills in effort to stop obesity

Baku. 28 January. REPORT.AZ/ France banned unlimited refills of soft drinks at restaurants through a law put into effect Friday in a campaign to reduce obesity.

Report informs referring to the TASS, the law specifically states it is illegal to sell unlimited soft drinks at a fixed price and illegal to offer unlimited amounts for free. It applies to all soft drinks and sugared sports drinks available in public places, and is aimed at limiting "especially among the young, the risks of obesity, overweight and diabetes" in accordance with World Health Organization guidelines.

The occurrence of adult obesity in France is 15.3 percent, below the European Union average of 15.9 percent, a survey by Eurostat indicated, but the French medical journal Bulletin Epidemiologique Hebdomadaire noted that by the age of 30, 57 percent of men and 41 percent of women in France are overweight or obese.