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Glass of Human Fat Debuts In New Health Department Ads
By
John Del Signore
Published Aug 31, 2009
Modified Aug 31, 2009
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By
John Del Signore
Published Aug 31, 2009
Modified Aug 31, 2009
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Do you enjoy soda and other delicious sugary beverages? If so, you may as well raise a cup of human fat to your lips and chug, according to a new public awareness campaign by the NYC Health Dept. The print ads depict, in graphic detail, human fat mottled with blood vessels being poured from a bottle of cola; a plastic "sports" drink bottle that looks like Gatorade; and a glass bottle of iced tea resembling Snapple, New York City's "official beverage."
The three-month campaign includes posters in the subway system and a TV ad in which an actor pours pure fat from a soda can into a glass, then drinks it, while asking viewers, "Are you pouring on the pounds? Drinking one can of soda a day can make you 10 pounds fatter a year." The Health Department says 2 million New Yorkers drink at least one sweetened beverage each day; some beverages contain as much as 250 calories a pop, and a 20-ounce bottle of soda can contain 16 ½ teaspoons of sugar. A survey found that daily consumption was highest among Bronx residents, followed by residents of Staten Island, Brooklyn, Queens and Manhattan.
Cathy Nonas, director of the Health Department’s Physical Activity and Nutrition Programs, says in a statement, "When people count calories, they too often forget to include the liquid ones. We need to start thinking of the sugar in sweetened drinks as unwanted, wasted calories." And the glass o' fat on the rocks ads are just the latest step in the city's graphic public health campaign; soon graphic anti-smoking ads will be required at the counter where cigarettes are sold. Associate Health Commissioner Geoff Cowley tells the Daily News, "If you get in people's faces a bit, that does get people's attention."
Tagged
ad
beverage
campaign
fat
health department
sugar
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
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