What you might not know is that our member companies follow responsible practices regarding advertising and marketing to children that recognize the central role that parents should play in making choices for their children.  Under these policies, our member companies do not advertise full-calorie soft drinks to children under 12.

For further proof of our commitment to these and other issues, we’d like to share with you a paper that was recently posted online in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine which demonstrates the dedication of the non-alcoholic beverage industry to responsible advertising and marketing practices.  The study shows that, between 2003 and 2007, beverage advertisements directed at children and adolescents continued to decrease “by about 27 percent to 30 percent across age groups” and there were “substantial decreases in exposure to ads” for sugar-sweetened beverages.

Interestingly, some of our member companies were among the first to sign on to the Children’s Food and Beverage Advertising Initiative, a program that increases the percentage of advertising for products that meet certain nutrition standards directed at children under 12, as well as advertising messages that encourage good nutrition and healthy lifestyles.

The American Beverage Association also announced its support for the International Council of Beverages Association Guidelines on Marketing to Children, developed in 2008. These guidelines set a standard whereby beverage companies voluntarily agreed to eliminate the advertising and marketing of a wide range of beverages, including carbonated soft drinks, to any audience that is comprised predominantly of children under 12. This policy includes paid media outlets such as TV, radio, print, Internet, phone messaging and cinema, including product placement.

While the ‘food police’ will always look for negative spin on industry efforts, we think that the general public is smart enough to recognize that our member companies are leading the way on these issues.

Certainly, there will be issues from 2009 that will linger, but hopefully we can take a fresh look at them or move the discussion forward.

Our companies continue to be the most innovative in the food industry – and we expect some exciting new products and changes from them this year.

Our companies are still committed to doing their part to address tough societal challenges. We’re wrapping up a three-year effort to remove all full-calorie soft drinks from schools and replace them with low-calorie, smaller-portion products. But we’re not resting on our groundbreaking School Beverage Guidelines. This industry already is hard at work on more policy innovations designed to meet the concerns of our customers and contribute meaningful solutions in the public policy arena.

Our iconic companies and their brands are part of Americana. We’ll continue to share interesting history, facts and insight into the beverage industry. From the Super Bowl ads to some cool museums to hit, we’ll tap into the fun side of our world.

We know there will still be the critics, too. But, as we always do, we’ll counter the critics with the facts – and the rest of the story they never seem to want to tell.

So keep checking us out. Start your day with some interesting ideas or fun facts to sip and savor.

Please feel free to comment. We’ll publish them: good, bad or indifferent. Our only rule is to play nice – no personal attacks or profanity.

Since this might have been the case for many Americans, as a friendly public service, Sip & Savor is providing links to replays: the transcript of the speeches as well as video footage courtesy of CNN.com. In these times, these speeches are certainly a must read or watch for all of us.

The challenges are indeed serious. And it’s important to deal with reality without smashing any sense of hope that better days lie ahead. It’s that hope that helps folks get through the tough times. Clearly, striking this balance was a goal of President Obama and Governor Jindal with their remarks last night.

If they need some models for finding that middle ground, might we suggest they take a look at our industry. Pepsi, Coca-Cola and Dr Pepper, just to name a few, are out there with optimism and happiness, while dealing with very challenging times themselves. Sometimes we just need to take a break and look for the bright side – the good in life – to help us take on the tough times we’re facing and move toward better days.

What do our top five have in common? Lots of Kurt Warner, lots of game-ending drama and lots of that game-ending drama coming with 35 seconds remaining in the game (No. 5 on our list comes in close enough.)

5. Super Bowl XXIII: San Francisco 20, Cincinnati 16

Great finishes in Super Bowls have become a great recent trend in the NFL. But the first great finish came in 1989 when Joe Montana took the field at his team’s own 8 yard line with only 2:10 left in the game. Montana proceeded to methodically pick apart the Bengals defense, taking his team 92 yards in 11 plays for the winning touchdown – a pass to John Taylor with 34 seconds left. Broke the Bengals’ backs and their fans’ hearts; franchise has never recovered.

4. Super Bowl XXXVI: New England 20, St. Louis 17

Remember waaayyy back when Tom Brady, Bill Belichick and the Patriots were a bunch of nobodies and the St. Louis Rams were the Greatest Show on Turf, on their way to becoming the NFL’s next dynasty? Well, the reversal of fortune for both teams was set in motion with this thriller. Kurt Warner rallied the Rams late in the game with a touchdown pass to tie the score at 17 with 1:21 remaining. But the Patriots, 14-point underdogs, and its “back-up” quarterback Tom Brady responded with a 53-yard drive to set up a 48-yard field goal by Adam Vinatieri as the clock expired. One of the great finishes and great upsets in Super Bowl history. It was the start of a precipitous fall for Kurt Warner and the Rams, and the rise of Tom Brady and the Patriots “dynasty.”

3. Super Bowl XXXIV: St. Louis 23, Tennessee 16

Before Kurt Warner suffered heartbreak against the Patriots (and Sunday against the Steelers), he delivered some agony of his own. Warner hit Isaac Bruce with a 73-yard touchdown to give the Rams a 6-point lead against the Titans with 1:54 left. The Titans responded with a heroic effort of their own, as Steve McNair marched his team down the field. In one of the most heart-wrenching moments of Super Bowl history, McNair hit Kevin Dyson on a slant pass only to watch the Rams tackle Dyson less than one yard from the end zone as time expired. This was actually Sip & Savor’s favorite Super Bowl, until Sunday, as our heart poured out for the Titans and their wrenching loss. But Kurt Warner was on the top of the world this day.

2. Super Bowl XLII: New York Giants 17, New England 14

Well, this Top Five seems to have a common subplot as well: what goes around comes around. Just as a scrappy bunch of Patriots put end to any talk of a Rams dynasty six years before, the upstart Giants shocked the world by beating the unbeatable Patriots. Who’ll forget Eli Manning somehow emerging from a pack of Patriot sack-men and heaving a ball that David Tyree caught with one hand and his helmet? Then, moments later, Manning hit Plaxico Burress for the game-winning touchdown with 35 seconds remaining. An end to the Patriots “perfect season” and an end to the Patriots “dynasty.” It is the greatest upset in Super Bowl history. So what could top such a feat? We found out a year later.

1. Super Bowl XLIII: Pittsburgh Steelers 27, Arizona Cardinals 23

The most remarkable and agonizing ending in Super Bowl history. Kurt Warner, long forgotten from his Glory Days with St. Louis and considered washed up, leads the Cardinals back from a 13-point deficit and is on the verge of completing one of the greatest comeback stories in Super Bowl and NFL history. Warner’s 64-yard, quick-hit touchdown pass to Larry Fitzgerald brought all of America not living in western Pennsylvania to their feet, jumping up-and-down in their living rooms, as the NFL’s perennial doormats were leading the storied Steelers 23-20. Only 2:37 remained. But it was more than enough time for Big Ben Roethlisberger and Santonio Holmes to pull off the greatest finish in Super Bowl history. Holmes ends the greatest Super Bowl with the greatest catch in a Super Bowl (move over Lynn Swann) at the greatest possible moment. And, yes, Holmes tapped his toes in the edge of the end zone with just 35 seconds remaining to give the Steelers their record sixth Super Bowl title, in the process breaking the hearts of the Cardinals and football fans everywhere. (Come on, Steelers’ fans, even you had to shed a little tear for the Cards to lose that way.)

So let’s summarize. Kurt Warner was involved in three of the most memorable finishes in Super Bowl history. And three of our top 5 games were decided with roughly 35 seconds left – including back-to-back Super Bowls; the other two were decided with no time on the clock.

The lesson from this countdown: If Kurt Warner’s in the Super Bowl, tune in. And the part of the football game that really matters is the final 35 seconds. The rest of the game is really about the cool ads!

Think you can top this Top 5? If so, let us know your list of best Super Bowls ever!

This year’s ads from Pepsi and Coca-Cola promise to provide some of the best entertainment of the day, including the game itself. From the sneak previews the companies are sharing (hyperlinked below), the ads promise to be a mix of cutting-edge technology, feel-good humor and even a new twist on an old classic.

Pepsi has told Sip & Savor that it plans to run between five and six minutes of advertising during the Super Bowl, saying it will be the largest advertiser in the game.

Though Pepsi is still finalizing a few Super Bowl ad selections for its variety of products, it has given us this rundown of when viewers can expect to see most of its advertising. Look for ads for Pepsi/Forever Young and Pepsi Max/I’m Good during the game’s First Quarter; SoBe Lifewater/Lizard Lake in the Second Quarter; and then Pepsi Max/Monkey and SoBe Lifewater/Dancing Man in the Fourth Quarter.

You’ll have to tune in to the game to catch Forever Young and Dancing Man. Ad selections for the Gatorade brand are still being made as well. But here’s a fun behind-the-scenes video on the making of Lizard Lake. It features NFL stars Ray Lewis, Justin Tuck and Matt Light with their best ballet moves (and ballet gear), as well as Lee the Lizard and the cast of the upcoming DreamWorks movie Monsters vs Aliens.

Coca-Cola plans to entertain with a nod to the digital age and to one of its most classic commercials.

The company is confirming plans to run ads called Avatar and Heist for its Coca-Cola product. And taking advantage of the Pittsburgh Steelers playing in yet another Super Bowl, Coca-Cola will air a commercial for Coke Zero called Mean Troy that does a modern take on the company’s classic Mean Joe Greene ad from the Steel Curtain era. “Mean Troy” is the Steelers All-Pro Safety Troy Polamalu.

Coke is keeping a tight wrap on the ending to Mean Troy, which promises a special twist on the original. It’s a twist that the Coke folks and Mean Joe say you won’t want to miss. Steelers’ fans, listen closely to this interview with Mean Joe on the making of new ad; he provides an intriguing connection between the two ads and the Super Bowl years in which they will have aired.

PepsiCo, which is the parent company of Pepsi and the Frito-Lay brands, will run ads for Doritos and Cheetos in the first half of Sunday’s game as well.

These great companies never disappoint with their quality products. And their advertising never disappoints on Super Bowl Sunday.

So wait for those drawn-out Instant Replay reviews before you break to the restroom or kitchen. You need to stay nice and comfortable in your chair for the commercials. Let our companies refresh and entertain you.

But, for many Super Bowl viewers, the football game is simply the “wrap-around” to the real entertainment for the evening: the Super Bowl advertisements. These commercials feature the best, brightest and most entertaining ads from some of America’s most beloved brands and their talented creative agencies. The ads have certainly helped make the Super Bowl a truly American experience, whether you’re a football fan or not.

Thus, it’s only fitting that two of America’s greatest brands from its most iconic industry will be showcasing ads in this year’s game: Coca-Cola and PepsiCo. You can be assured that both companies will certainly be bringing their “A”Game to the Big Game. And that means fun for all of us.

So tune in for the fun in-between the action on the football field. And remember to plan now for hitting the restroom and the fridge during the actual ball game. You don’t want to miss the commercials.

(Pssst. Since we’re talking about commercials, a shameless plug from Sip & Savor. Don’t forget to stock up on your favorite soft drinks, flavored waters, bottled waters, sports drinks, juices, energy drinks or other non-alcoholic beverages for the big game.)