WASHINGTON, D.C. - The beverage industry today expressed disappointment at the U.S. Conference of Mayors' passage of a resolution that funds a study to look at creating disparate pricing structures for sales of municipal water for water bottling.

Cutting calories in schools reinforces skills for a lifetime; discriminatory taxes just raise revenue

In response to legislation introduced today by Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, and Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, Susan K. Neely, president and CEO of the American Beverage Association, issued the following statement:

The American Beverage Association (ABA) announced today the election of eight new members to its board of directors.  Elected to serve their first term are: Rich Beck, president, North America Functional Beverages, PepsiCo; Brian Charneski, president, L & E Bottling Company, Inc.; Ralph Crowley, president/CEO, Polar Beverages; Selim Chidiac, CEO, Red Bull North America; Edwin C. Rice, chairman and CEO, Ozarks Coca-Cola/Dr Pepper Bottling Co.; and Cliff Ritchie, president and CEO, Carolina Beverage Corp.  Elected to serve a second term are George Kalil, president, Kalil Bottling Co., and Keith Reimer, president and CEO, Pepsi Bottling Ventures LLC. 

American Beverage Association members are leaders in environmental stewardship and are proud to help lead the private sector in the quest for a more sustainable future. 

At Experimental Biology 2009, Dr. Maureen Storey, senior vice president of science policy for the American Beverage Association, today briefed colleagues on her new analysis indicating that consumers of all ages are drinking more lower-calorie beverages than they did several years ago.  The data are from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) - the largest and longest-running national, publicly available source of health and nutrition data in the United States.

In response to an opinion column published today in the New England Journal of Medicine, Susan Neely, president and CEO for the American Beverage Association (ABA), issued the following statement:

The American Beverage Association today updated Members of Congress about the successful nationwide implementation of the commonsense School Beverage Guidelines in schools across the nation.  The national School Beverage Guidelines were developed in partnership between major beverage companies and the Alliance for a Healthier Generation as part of a comprehensive effort to combat childhood obesity across the country

The American Beverage Association (ABA) and its members in New York State reaffirm our strong opposition to the current state proposals to expand the bottle bill and take the unclaimed bottle deposits. In an economy like this, the last thing government should be doing is raising taxes on middle class families.

The non-alcoholic beverage industry today applauds Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, and Reps. Ron Kind, D-Wis., Zach Wamp, R-Tenn., and Jay Inslee, D-Wash., for their efforts to promote the need to make physical education in schools a greater priority. 

Their promise will protect jobs, prevent further economic burden on hard-working New Yorkers

In response to a study published today in the New England Journal of Medicine, Dr. Maureen Storey, senior vice president of science policy for the American Beverage Association (ABA), issued the following statement:

Late last night, the Connecticut Legislature raised taxes on hardworking families by adding a fee to every bottle of water sold in the state.  In an economy like this, the last thing that government should be doing is raising taxes on the middle class.  Nor should government be putting good paying jobs with health benefits at risk.