By Chester K. Williams, SDDTAC Co-Chair and Bayview Food Coordinator for the Community Living Campaign
As a native resident of San Francisco for 70-plus years, I am pleased to be active in city and community-based projects that provide a more stable existence for multicultural communities and citizens throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. In addition to serving on the SDDTAC, (also known as the Soda Tax Advisory Committee), I have served on the San Francisco Food Security Task Force for the past six years.
My first year on the Soda Tax Advisory Committee has been a learning experience and I am active in understanding the overall situation in different parts of San Francisco. I feel deeply about the purpose and objective of the Sugary Drink Distributor Tax Advisory Committee; I follow a solemn goal of providing better health environments for the aging and disabled residents of the City and a firm push to influence the development of better food and nutrition for our youth and young adults.
I fervently believe in decreasing media and marketing campaigns led by Big Food and Big Soda who are not concerned with the cultural and medical implications of their products on our communities. Their marketing tactics encourage the purchase of sugary food and drinks, which is a major issue for me, because of all the negative health impacts that are associated with overconsumption of sugary food and drinks.
The current committee members provide a cross-section of various city and community components needed to achieve our goals for the future.
Once again, thanks for having me.