It’s October, and the NFL’s regular season is well underway.  Across our nation, athletic performances are being scrutinized and tallied up. Unfortunately though, these athletes’ performance stats are not the only thing being analyzed this week.

Responsible marketing is something that the beverage industry takes very seriously.  So, we were surprised to read a new study published in the journal Pediatrics. If you saw media coverage of its conclusions, then you’ve read or seen that the authors suggest that professional athletes could also be contributing to the obesity problem through endorsements.

What you might have read as part of the coverage is that our member companies do not advertise any products except juice, water and milk-based drinks to audiences comprised predominantly of children under 12. In fact, the authors’ findings actually reaffirms that children – those under 12 - are not the age group primarily viewing food- and beverage-related advertisements featuring professional athletes.

Our member companies will continue to deliver on our commitment to responsible marketing, as our industry offers consumers a variety of options and helps them make informed choices by providing more information.

For more information about our industry’s commitment to responsible marketing, please check out DeliveringChoices.org.