Our regular readers will remember last October when America’s beverage companies stood with Chicago Mayor Rahm Emmanuel and San Antonio Mayor Julián Castro to announce our industry’s Calories Count™ Vending Program.  Today, together with District of Columbia Mayor Vincent Gray, we’re proud to announce the expansion of our vending program into municipal buildings in the Nation’s Capital. In a statement, Mayor Gray said:

“I’m glad that the District will be in the vanguard of municipal governments working with our nation’s beverage companies to ensure that our workers and visitors to our municipal facilities have the information they need to make the best choices for their lifestyles. This program is a great example of a public/private partnership that empowers consumers.”

Through Calories Count™, our member companies, working with their vending partners, are committed to increase availability of lower-calorie beverages in vending machines; display a ‘Calories Count™’ vending snipe with messages such as ‘Check, then Choose’ and ‘Try a Low-Calorie Beverage;’ and add calorie labels to the selection buttons on beverage vending machines to show calorie counts per beverage container.

Today’s announcement is just another example of how our industry is delivering.  We are empowering consumers to consider calories in all their beverage choices and, as such, promoting healthy, balanced and active lifestyles.

As president and CEO of the American Beverage Association, Susan K. Neely said; “America’s leading beverage companies are committed to being part of meaningful solutions to the public health challenge of obesity, and working with Mayor Gray to bring the Calories Count™ Vending Program to city employees is an important part of addressing that challenge.”

For additional information on how our industry delivers with its Calories Count™ Vending Program, read the full press release here or check in with us on Facebook and Twitter.