Big soda brands Coke, Pepsi and Dr. Pepper promise that they will work to lower the calories that Americans get from their beverages.
They promise to lower caloric intake from soda by 20 percent over the next decade by marketing bottled water, diet drinks and releasing smaller sizes in the market.
Below is the partial statement from Susan K. Neely, president and chief executive of the American Beverage Association:
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. This initiative will help transform the beverage landscape in America.
The announcement was made Tuesday during the Clinton Global Initiative. Many say it’s a direct result of public pressure over the roles of these brands in fueling obesity in the country.
This recent commitment stems from the shift in customers’ taste. People are actually slowly moving away from soda on their own, but they are promoting this by responding with smaller bottles and cans as well as flavored versions of bottled water.