Obesity

The headlines are hard to ignore. America needs to lose weight.

The American Beverage Association, representing America’s non-alcoholic beverage producers, marketers, bottlers, distributors and, ultimately, consumers, is concerned about the obesity issue in America and is proudly doing its part to help improve health and wellness. To help educate children and provide them with nutritious beverage options, the beverage industry joined with the Alliance for a Healthier Generation to create School Beverage Guidelines that remove full-calorie soft drinks from all schools and provide for students with a range of lower-calorie, smaller-portion beverage options. It’s part of a broader effort to teach children the importance of a balanced diet and exercise.

All of our industry’s beverages can be enjoyed as part of a balanced lifestyle. Our industry also produces and promotes an array of products that can be catalysts to good health – bottled waters, 100 percent fruit juices, sports drinks, ready-to-drink teas and no- and low-calorie soft drinks.

Many Factors Impact Obesity

While beverages and food play a role in determining good health, so do other important factors. In fact, it is generally accepted that obesity involves three main factors: genetics, diet and exercise.

We know that obesity is a serious and complex problem that is best addressed by living a balanced lifestyle – consuming a variety of foods and beverages in moderation and getting plenty of exercise. Quite simply, overweight and obesity are a result of an imbalance between calories consumed and calories burned.