The American Beverage Association, the Coca-Cola Company, Dr Pepper Snapple Group and PepsiCo have announced a new agreement to decrease beverage calories.
The commitment was announced Sept. 23 at the 2014 Clinton Global Intiative (CGI) Annual Meeting in New York City.
“I am excited about the potential of this voluntary commitment by the beverage industry. It can be a critical step in our ongoing fight against obesity,” said President Bill Clinton. “Our work with beverage companies to reduce the number of calories shipped to schools by 90 percent demonstrates the power of creative cooperation. We look forward to continuing to work together to achieve the goals outlined in this commitment.”
The companies said they set a goal to reduce beverage calories consumed per person nationally by 20 percent by 2025.
“This is the single-largest voluntary effort by an industry to help fight obesity and leverages our companies’ greatest strengths in marketing, innovation and distribution,” said Susan K. Neely, President and CEO of the American Beverage Association. “This initiative will help transform the beverage landscape in America. It takes our efforts to provide consumers with more choices, smaller portions and fewer calories to an ambitious new level. We’re proud to continue our successful partnership with the Alliance for a Healthier Generation and President Clinton and further our commitment to bring meaningful solutions to families and communities nationwide.”
The beverage companies will retain an independent, third-party evaluator, in conjunction with the Alliance for a Healthier Generation, to track progress and interim benchmarks toward their commitments.
