Last weekend brought about the first day of spring. In this season of renewal, it’s nice to look back and see how the great accomplishments of the first part of this year have paved the way for even more exciting work in the months ahead.

In fact, in the past few months, we have announced some remarkable initiatives that are keeping the beverage industry at the forefront of innovation in product labeling and committed to doing what’s right in the ongoing fight to turn the tide on obesity. We rolled out the final progress report of our industry's national School Beverage Guidelines a few weeks ago. The report showed an 88 percent decline in beverage calories in schools - and shipments of full-calorie soft drinks are down by 95 percent. And in support of First Lady Michelle Obama's "Let’s Move" anti-obesity campaign, we made a commitment to label the calorie information of our products more clearly, ensuring that usable information will be available to consumers right at their fingertips. Just this week we stood with leaders on Capitol Hill to announce a groundbreaking agreement in the effort to address childhood nutrition in schools.

We have plenty of work ahead of us. It's important to note the diligent efforts of America's leading beverage companies, and their dedication to consumers, as we embark on our new initiatives. This gives us a lot to be excited about in the coming months!

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