Nanny State New York Coming After Pizza, Sports Drinks

New York is the “city that never sleeps.” However, after the past few months, city residents are hoping the city’s lawmakers and regulators would at least take a nap. Even with no shortage of economic issues to take care of, New York lawmakers have set their sights on regulating coal-fired pizza and energy drinks.

A proposal late last month would have New York’s pizzerias cut emissions on their coal and wood-fired pizza ovens by roughly 75 percent. According to the proposal by the city’s Department of Environmental Protection, restaurants must evaluate whether their exhaust systems can be fitted with scrubbers that can trap emissions.  And, if they could be retrofitted, the pizza purveyors would then be forced to install the scrubbers.

Owners are saying that installing such equipment may change the functionality of the oven, which would impact the way the pizza tastes. This would be a tragedy in its own right because New Yorkers claim to have the best tasting pizza in the country.  Nanny state governmental policies are now trying to downgrade America’s best pizza.

More potentially pressing for consumers is the cost. Paul Giannone, owner of Paulie Gee’s in Brooklyn, said of the cost, “Oh yeah, it’s a big expense. It’s not just the expense of having it installed, it’s the maintenance. I got to pay somebody to do it, to go up there every couple of weeks and hose it down and, you know, do the maintenance.”

Costs associated with installing new oven equipment to comply with this new regulation is estimated to come to around $20,000. Either New York’s pizza joints will have to start selling far more pizza or will have to raise their prices to make up that cost. Some may not even have a spare twenty thousand to spend and may have to go out of business.

The bitter irony is that the state of New York shut down its Indian Point nuclear power plant in 2021. That move ended up making downstate New York nearly entirely dependent on fossil fuels. New York lawmakers have avenues at their disposal to reduce emissions and dependence on fossil fuels. To account for its avoidable and reversable blunder at Indian Point, they are making independent pizza shops suffer, as well as the millions of consumers who love a good, homemade New York slice.

Not to be outdone, last week, New York Senator – and U.S. Senate Majority Leader – Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) urged the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to “look into” PRIME energy drinks. Sen. Schumer claims the company “feverishly targets” kids with advertisements, but also presents a “serious health concern.”

The basis of Schumer’s claim is the fact that the energy drink has a high concentration of caffeine. Schumer’s claim ignores the fact that PRIME energy drink have a warning label that the product is not recommended for anyone under the age of 18. PRIME also markets a sports drink – PRIME Hydration – which contains zero caffeine.

The brand – created and popularized by YouTube stars Logan Paul and KSI – has already gone out of its way to avoid this issue. However, once again, New York lawmakers have felt the need to get their hands on something they don’t understand. This need to “do something” about anything not entirely liked is not specific to New York, but in the last month, New York lawmakers have elevated it to an art form, casting aside any potential concerns for consumers who love pizza and sports drinks.

Dan Savickas is the Director of Policy at the Taxpayers Protection Alliance.