guidance statement NEW YORK --
A state judge in New York on Monday invalidated the city's upcoming ban on sugary drinks in containers larger than 16 ounces in certain venues, CNN reports.
A New York State Supreme Court judge called the limit on the large drinks "arbitrary and capricious."
The measure was to take effect Tuesday, and Mayor Michael Bloomberg's office said in a Twitter message that the city will appeal.
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New York City's ban on sugary drinks kicks in Tuesday.
It will prevent restaurants and stores from selling sodas and other sugary drinks larger than 16 ounces. But some coffee drinkers are surprised to find out their daily cup of Joe also will be effected.
They'll be limited to four packets of sugar per 20 ounces.
Dunkin' Donuts shops are telling customers they'll have to sweeten and flavor their own coffee. Coca-Cola has printed posters explaining the new rules, and a bowling lounge is squeezing carrot and beet juice as a potential substitute for pitchers of soda at family parties - all in preparation for the nation's first limit on the size of sugar-laden beverages.
Some businesses are holding off, hoping a court challenge nixes or at least delays the restriction. But many are getting ready for tasks including reprinting menus and changing movie theaters' supersized soda-and-popcorn deals.
Beer drinkers can breathe easy: The restriction doesn't apply to alcoholic beverages, among other exemptions for various reasons. But it does cover such beverages as energy drinks and sweetened fruit smoothies.
City officials say it's a pioneering, practical step to staunch an obesity rate that has risen from 18 to 24 percent in a decade among adult New Yorkers. Health officials say