Sugary drink tax introduce the tax was heavily funded by Mike Bloomberg. On June 30, 2017, a Cook County judge granted a temporary restraining order filed by the Illinois Retail Merchants Association and several Cook County-based grocers that prohibited the tax from being put into effect until at least July 12. The tax eventually went into effect on August 2. Due to a conflict with the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, this soda tax did not apply to any soda purchases made with food stamps, which were used by over 870,000 people. Controversially, the tax affected diet drinks but not sugar-packed fruit juices. On
Criticism of the Food and Drug Administration additives were tested in the research: On April 10, 2008, the Food Standards Agency called for a voluntary removal of the colors (but not sodium benzoate) by 2009. In addition, it recommended that there should be action to phase them out in food and drink in the European Union (EU) over a specified period. UK ministers have agreed that the six colorings will be phased out by 2009. A Japanese group found in 1987 that tartrazine was not carcinogenic after being fed to mice for two years. A German group found in 1989 that Sunset Yellow did not induce mutations