News Releases

Beverage Industry Launches Print And Online Advertising Campaign To Raise Awareness Of New School Beverage Guidelines

Contacts:
Kevin Keane
(202) 463-6774

Tracey Halliday
(202) 463-6718

WASHINGTON — The American Beverage Association announced today a national print and digital advertising campaign to educate school administrators, policymakers and parents about the beverage industry’s new School Beverage Guidelines. The $10 million campaign, funded by The Coca-Cola Company, PepsiCo and Cadbury Schweppes Americas Beverages, will begin today in the New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, The Hill and Roll Call, as well as in newspapers in targeted states throughout the country.

“The advertising campaign will educate school officials, policymakers and parents about the new School Beverage Guidelines. Students will now have a broad range of lower-calorie nutritious beverages in the right portion size for their age,” said Susan K. Neely, president and chief executive officer of the American Beverage Association. “Our industry stepped up to do its part to strengthen school wellness and is working with schools to implement the guidelines. Raising awareness about the guidelines will make it easier to accomplish this.”

America’s leading beverage companies teamed with the Alliance for a Healthier Generation, a joint initiative of the William J. Clinton Foundation and the American Heart Association under the leadership of President Clinton and Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, to develop the School Beverage Guidelines in May and positively impact the health and wellness of America’s schoolchildren for generations to come. As part of a broader effort to teach children the importance of balanced diet and exercise, students will have a broad range of lower-calorie, nutritious, smaller-portion beverage choices under these guidelines

Over the course of the next 12 weeks, the ads will appear in newspapers, magazines and professional trade publications of the education, health and public policy fields. Along with the previously mentioned newspapers, the ads will appear in Time, Newsweek, US News, People,

Parade, USA Weekend, Working Mother, Shape, Health, Family Fun, Women’s Health, Rachael Ray, O Magazine, Real Simple, Redbook and Woman’s Day.
The ads were created by the award-winning firm BBDO in New York City. The ads feature students in common settings talking in an uncommon way about nutrition. The ad copy acknowledges the concern schools, policymakers, parents and industry have about students’ nutrition and goes on to describe the Guidelines and their impact on students and schools.

“This is the first time the three major beverage companies have united on an industry ad campaign,” Neely said. “This industry is clearly committed to doing its part for school wellness.”

The School Beverage Guidelines will provide elementary school students with: bottled water; up to eight ounce servings of milk and 100 percent juice; low fat and non fat regular and flavored milk with up to 150 calories per 8 ounces; and 100 percent juice with no added sweeteners and up to 120 calories per eight ounces. In middle school, beverage choices will be the same as elementary school except juice and milk may be sold in 10 ounce servings. High school students will have a variety of beverage options including: bottled water; no- or low-calorie beverages with up to 10 calories per 8 ounces; up to 12 ounce servings of milk, 100 percent juice, light juice and sports drinks; low fat and non fat regular and flavored milk with up to 150 calories per 8 ounces; 100 percent juice with no added sweeteners and up to 120 calories per 8 ounces; and light juices and sports drinks with no more than 66 calories per 8 ounces. In addition, at least 50 percent of the beverage selections in high schools must be water and no- or low-calorie options.

For more information on the new School Beverage Guidelines or to view the ads, please visit ABA’s Web site at http://www.ameribev.org.

# # #

The American Beverage Association is the trade association representing the broad spectrum of companies that manufacture and distribute non-alcoholic beverages in the United States.

-30-