CRS Insights
Beverage Industry Pledges to Reduce Americans' Drink Calories
Agata Dabrowska, Analyst in Health Policy (
adabrowska@crs.loc.gov, 7-9455)
October 6, 2014 (IN10162)
Obesity rates in the United States remain high, with roughly two-thirds of adults and one-third of
children overweight or obese. The estimated annual health care costs of obesity-related illness are
approaching $200 billion, and this has been characterized as the first generation of children who may
not outlive their parents.
Congress and the Obama Administration have shown a strong interest in developing policies to address
the obesity epidemic. Various legislative, regulatory, and industry initiatives have been proposed,
including efforts targeting sugar-sweetened beverage consumption. The term "sugar-sweetened
beverages" refers to drinks sweetened with sugar, high-fructose corn syrup, or other caloric
sweeteners. They are considered a source of "empty" calories and have been implicated as a significant
contributor to the obesity epidemic. Although there is no recommended amount for sugar intake, the
World Health Organization proposes that sugars should comprise less than 10% of daily calories. A
single 12 ounce can of soda provides up to 10 teaspoons of sugar, and sugary soft drinks account for
6% of daily calorie intake among Americans.
At a recent meeting of the Clinton Global Initiative, leading beverage companies pledged to reduce the
number of sugar-sweetened drink calories consumed by Americans by 20% by 2025. Coca-Cola, Dr.
Pepper, Snapple, PepsiCo, and the American Beverage Association are teaming up with the
Alliance for
a Healthier Generation, a national nonprofit working to reduce the prevalence of childhood obesity.
The approach to be used by these organizations is two-pronged—employing both a national and a
community initiative. Through the national initiative, the beverage companies pledge to provide
consumers with more healthy choices and to increase education efforts to raise consumer awareness of
these healthier options. Through the community initiative, beverage companies are to focus efforts on
low-income communities, where there is often less access to healthier beverage and food options. To
implement these initiatives, the soda companies propose to promote consumption of bottled water,
introduce new lower-calorie products and smaller-portion containers, and provide calorie counts and
promote calorie awareness on all beverage company-controlled vending machines, self-serve fountain
dispensers, and retail coolers in convenience stores, restaurants, and other locations. An independent
evaluation is to be conducted to track progress toward the proposed goal.
Has This Been Done Before?
The initiative to
"transform the beverage landscape" has been characterized as industry's largest
voluntary effort toward fighting obesity and protecting the public's health. This commitment by the
soft-drink companies extends previous efforts to reduce consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages
and improve public health outcomes. In 2006, the Alliance for a Healthier Generation formed voluntary
agreements with various beverage manufacturers to replace full-calorie soft drinks in schools with more
nutritious, lower-calorie options. A
study published in the American Journal of Public Health reported
that as a result of this effort, the number of calories shipped to schools decreased by 90% between
the 2004 and 2010 school years.
In October 2009, 16 major food and beverage companies came together as part of the
Healthy Weight
Commitment Foundation (HWCF), pledging to collectively cut 1 trillion calories from the marketplace by
2012 and 1.5 trillion calories by 2015. A
study published in the American Journal of Preventive
Medicine reported that the HWCF companies have exceeded their 2015 pledge by more than 400%.
The 6.4 trillion calorie reduction between 2007 and 2012 translates into a reduction in industry
marketing of 78 calories per person per day.
How Does This Relate to FDA Regulatory Activity?
The beverage industry's initiative may be an early effort to comply with FDA's proposed changes to
nutrition labeling. In March 2014, the FDA proposed two rules (see CRS Report R43733,
Revision of the
Nutrition Facts Label: Proposed Rules) to update the Nutrition Facts label and if finalized,
manufacturers would be required to declare on the label the amount of added sugars in a food item.
Manufacturers would also be required to provide dual-column labels on packages that contain between
two and four servings to indicate both "per serving" and "per container" nutrition information. For a 20
ounce soda, for example, the Nutrition Facts label would have to list the amount of calories (and other
nutrition information) for both the 8 ounce serving and for the entire 20 ounce bottle.
The FDA's proposed rules aim to provide consumers with up-to-date and easy-to-understand nutrition
information; they may also prompt food manufacturers to reformulate their products to make them
healthier and more attractive to consumers. Policies that increase awareness about the nutritional
content of various foods may promote healthier eating behaviors among consumers, resulting in lower
calorie intake and eventually, lower rates of obesity.
These proposals have generated some opposition, as evidenced by public comment from members of
the food and beverage industry. Among the concerns cited in industry comments, consumers may be
dissuaded from purchasing food and drink items containing high amounts of added sugar or larger
serving sizes upon seeing the nutrition information. By undertaking their voluntary initiative to reduce
consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages, soda companies that implement reduced portion sizes
may be exempt from the mandatory dual-column labeling of those products since they will be smaller
in size. And by providing no- and lower-calorie options, the beverage companies may encourage
consumers to purchase their bottled water and diet soda instead of full-calorie, sugar-laden drinks.
What Are the Public Health Implications?
Public health stakeholders have generally been supportive of this effort and agree that it could serve as
a blueprint for future initiatives that address obesity. However, it is worth noting that
sales of sugar-
sweetened beverages have declined over the past decade, and this drop has been, in part, attributed
to greater consumer awareness about the relationship between diet and health. Some suspect that
beverage companies are following the trend of consumers' changing preferences for lower-calorie
beverages. It remains to be seen how quickly any reductions in sugar-sweetened beverage
consumption may occur due to this voluntary initiative, and whether this effort by the beverage
industry can positively affect the public's health.