Today marks the one year anniversary of the launch of our voluntary commitment to label beverage vending machines in municipal buildings in the cities of Chicago and San Antonio as part of our Calories Count™Vending Program. This program places calorie counts of the beverage options right on the selection buttons, and encourages consumers to “check then choose.” This is another public-partnership dedicated to making a real difference. And it builds on a longstanding commitment by our member companies to lead on solutions to complex issues like obesity.

The Calories Count™Vending Program is an expansion of our Clear on Calories initiative, which put calorie information right at consumers' fingertips. That way they can easily access the calorie information they need to make the choice that's right for them.

And our commitment to being part of the solution extends to schools as well. We cut beverage calories shipped to schools by 90 percent between 2004 and the end of the 2009-2010 school year. And because of our success in schools, the guidelines recently released by the USDA that govern what food and beverages can be sold in schools largely reflect what our member companies have already accomplished.

We're proud of the work we're doing to educate consumers about calorie balance and the importance of physical activity and exercise. And we hope you find these programs helpful.

For more information on these initiatives, check out DeliveringChoices.org.