America’s non-alcoholic beverage industry applauds First Lady Michelle Obama’s common-sense efforts to strengthen school wellness policies, including support for aligning food and beverage signage in schools to reflect what is allowed under U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) regulations. 

"No matter how you look at it, soda taxes mean fewer jobs. Americans have made it clear they don't support taxes and other restrictions on common grocery items, like soft drinks. Soda taxes have unintended consequences on middle-class jobs and small businesses. For these and other reasons, tax proposals continue to fail wherever they are introduced. Change happens when everyone works together - government, academia, healthcare and businesses like ours. It's time we collaborate to find real solutions. We hope serious thought leaders will agree."

“This study shows that children and adolescents consume less caffeine than they have in previous years. In fact, the most recent data demonstrates virtually no caffeine consumption from energy drinks among children under 12 and extremely low consumption for adolescents aged 12 to 18. Furthermore, findings from this study reaffirm that overall, consumption of caffeine from soft drinks by this group also has decreased.”

“This study shows that adult consumption of added sugars has actually declined, as recently reported by the CDC.  A significant part of that reduction is from decreased added sugars from beverages due, in part, to our member companies’ ongoing innovation in providing more low- and no-calorie options.  Furthermore, this is an observational study which cannot – and does not – show that cardiovascular disease is caused by drinking sugar-sweetened beverages.” 

“First and foremost, consumers can rest assured that our industry's beverages are safe. Contrary to the conclusions of Consumer Reports, FDA has noted there is no reason at all for any health concerns, a position supported by regulatory agencies around the world.  In fact, FDA has noted that a consumer ‘would have to drink more than a thousand cans of soda in a day to match the doses administered in studies that showed links to cancer in rodents.’ However, the companies that make caramel coloring for our members' soft drinks are now producing it to contain less 4-MEI, and nationwide use of this new caramel coloring is underway.”

“Diet beverages have been shown to be an effective tool as part of an overall weight management plan.  Numerous studies have repeatedly demonstrated the benefits of diet beverages – as well as low-calorie sweeteners, which are in thousands of foods and beverages – in helping to reduce calorie intake. Losing or maintaining weight comes down to balancing the total calories consumed with those burned through physical activity.”

“The U.S. Department of Agriculture has already developed national standards for all foods and beverages in schools that take effect in July 2014, which largely follow the voluntary guidelines implemented by our industry in 2010. These guidelines, which our industry is proud to have developed in partnership with the William J. Clinton Foundation and the Alliance for a Healthier Generation, removed full-calorie soft drinks from schools and replaced them with more lower-calorie, smaller-portion beverage options. As a result of this initiative, independent, published studies showed that 90 percent fewer beverage calories were shipped to schools between 2004-2005 and 2009-10.”

“We are pleased with today’s opinion from the European Food Safety Authority confirming – once again – that aspartame is safe for consumption by the general population, including pregnant women.  This opinion, which is based on one of the most comprehensive risk assessments of aspartame to-date, further supports decades of scientific research as well as the positions of regulatory agencies around the globe, including FDA. Furthermore, these experts concluded that aspartame does not cause cancer, harm the brain or nervous system or affect behavior or cognitive function in children or adults.”

“Our member companies offer a wide variety of product choices, portion sizes and calorie counts, and continue to innovate with more choices to meet evolving consumer needs. Our industry believes in the soft drink business and sees opportunity for continued innovation and growth. Beyond soft drinks, our companies also offer ready-to-drink teas and coffees, water, sports drinks, juices and more.”

“The fact remains that most mainstream energy drinks contain only about half the caffeine of a similar size cup of coffeehouse coffee. Caffeine is a safe ingredient and is consumed every day in a wide variety of foods and beverages, including energy drinks which have been enjoyed safely by millions of people for nearly three decades. Also, this paper, which looks at only 18 adults, has not been peer-reviewed or published.”