We're only throwing it back a couple of weeks this Throwback Thursday. This op-ed from the West Virginia Beverage Association deserves a second look. 

As the school year begins, students across the country are adjusting to new classes, teachers and classmates. As West Virginia Beverage Association’s Will Swann highlights in a piece published in the West Virginia Gazette, one thing parents and students can be sure of is the beverage mix in schools.

That’s because more than 10 years ago America’s leading beverage companies came together and made a voluntary commitment to remove full calorie soft drinks from schools. We heard from parents that they wanted support ensuring their kids make balanced nutrition choices at school, so we listened and implemented the School Beverage Guidelines.   

"In 2010, leading beverage companies partnered with the Alliance For A Healthier Generation (Healthier Generation) to implement the National School Beverage Guidelines, a voluntary initiative to remove full calorie soft drinks from schools," writes Swann. "The result has been significant: a 90 percent reduction in beverage calories shipped to schools. In fact, the voluntary guidelines were so effective, the USDA Smart Snacks in Schools Beverage Guidelines were largely based on them." 

At the American Beverage Association, we are proud of our members in West Virginia and around the country who worked hard to implement these guidelines, and in doing so, changed the beverage landscape in schools. To learn more about our School Beverage Guidelines visit balanceus.org