Obesity continues to be in the news, and sugar-sweetened beverages are often part of the story – but sadly, those stories don’t always contain the facts.  From Mayor Bloomberg’s proposed soda ban or a call by one advocacy group for a Surgeon General report, one thing is clear:  the more some distract us from meaningful and comprehensive solutions that will have a real impact on reducing (and perhaps preventing) obesity, the more society will suffer in the long run.

While some will lay 100 percent of the blame for obesity on beverages that contribute 7 percent of our calories (on average), our industry continues to take its role in being part of the solution to obesity very seriously.  Why?  Because we agree that obesity is a serious challenge facing our country and we all have a role to play.  But we need to work together – not try and scapegoat one food or beverage in efforts that will ultimately have no impact on the challenge at hand.

Importantly, the beverage industry is doing its part to help consumers make beverage choices that are right for them.  We’re taking common-sense steps that will have a meaningful and lasting impact, including:

Providing more beverage options than ever before, with a wide array of calories and portion size options; Innovating new, great-tasting, no- and low-calorie drinks, which have helped to reduce average calories per serving by 23 percent from 1998 to 2010; Voluntarily agreeing to advertise only water, juice and milk-based drinks on programming targeted to children under 12; Working with President Clinton on national School Beverage Guidelines that removed full-calorie soft drinks from all K-12 schools and replaced them with more lower-calorie, smaller-portion choices in age-appropriate portion sizes, driving an 88 percent reduction in beverage calories shipped to schools since 2004; Supporting First Lady Michelle Obama’s ‘Let’s Move!’ campaign with its Clear on Calories initiative to display clear calorie information on the front of every bottle, can and pack we produce.”

All of this, even though calories and added sugars consumed from beverages are going down while obesity is going up. It’s time for all of us to work together – that’s a strategy that can be part of an effective solution.