![]() ![]() ![]() So when they voluntarily agree to take action together, we have to consider any potential competitive implications of those actions. In the association, we build consensus among them to create industry positions and, when appropriate, advocate for the industry. Our large member companies are well-known household names and are fierce competitors in the marketplace. MC: What concerns, specifically, did the ABA view as “watch outs?”ĪH: I concentrate on competitive issues with all of our initiatives. MC: Were there any risks that had to be mitigated before agreeing to the initiative?ĪH: There are always things we have to consider when discussing competitive issues, but I wouldn’t consider them risks-more like “watch outs” that we need to be aware of. It’s information that consumers understand and want and that our member companies want to provide. It reminds them to balance their calories-including from beverages. What is the benefit of the initiative for the American Beverage Association and its members?ĪH: The BCI provides a message, or a nudge, that consumers will start to associate with our products. MC: The initiative adds a layer of accountability to beverage production, which usually means added cost. The BCI was the logical next step in the tradition of our industry and its trade association to support consumers with both choice and information. With the launch of the “Clear on Calories” effort in 2010, the nonalcoholic-beverage industry became the first in the country to put clear calorie information right on the front of the products it sells. It was the first of our leadership initiatives acknowledging that the beverages we sell have calories and that the industry is willing to work together to support its consumers in their choices and be part of real health solutions. We partnered with the Alliance for a Healthier Generation, the Clinton Foundation, and the American Heart Association to agree that only water, milk, and portion-controlled juice would be available in elementary and middle schools with additional calorie-capped beverages at the high school level. We listened to parents, who told us they wanted more control over what their children and teens ate and drank in the school environment. Back in 2006, we launched the “School Beverage Guidelines,” a voluntary industry initiative to remove full-calorie sodas from K–12 schools and replace them with lower-calorie, smaller-portion options. Modern Counsel: What was the impetus for the launch of the Balanced Calories Initiative (BCI)?Īmy Hancock: We view the Balanced Calories Initiative as a continuation of the industry’s history of coming together to take strong leadership positions. General counsel Amy Hancock discusses how the ABA is uniting fierce competitors to fight obesity. The ABA, which provides a neutral forum for beverage manufacturers and distributors to discuss common issues while maintaining a “tradition of spirited competition,” has pledged to help its members reduce by 20 percent the amount of beverage calories consumed by Americans by 2025. The initiative marks the largest voluntary effort to fight obesity by an industry. Pepper Snapple Group-joined the Alliance for a Healthier Generation to reduce the beverage calories consumed by the average American.ĭeemed the “Balanced Calories Initiative,” the program builds upon the ABA’s efforts to provide consumers with information, such as voluntary front-of-bottle calorie labels. In 2015, the American Beverage Association (ABA), and three of its leading member companies-the Coca-Cola Company, PepsiCo, and Dr. Doctors aren’t the only professionals encouraging healthier eating-and drinking-habits.
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