In a stunning announcement today, the largest soda companies in the United States have agreed to find ways to have consumers drink less soda loaded with sugar. Coke, Pepsi and Dr. Pepper/Snapple have entered into a voluntary agreement with the Clinton Global Initiative to cut beverage calories consumed per person in the US by 20% by 2025. This is a stunning development and it’s an acknowledgement that these beverages contribute to the obesity crisis in this country and around the world.

The approach will be through a variety of tactics, involving marketing, packaging and distribution. Of course, the companies will do this in large part by marketing low-calorie or zero-calorie beverages that they own. The trends away from sugary soft drinks have become more pronounced, though in poorer areas not much has changed. Still, by changing the sizes of soft drinks and encouraging consumption of water and low-calorie drinks, this move can have a huge impact on public health over the years.

So if you have your own bad habit of consuming sugary soft drinks every day, now is the time to stop!

Mayor Bloomberg of New York City has proposed new legislation which would ban ‘super-size’ sugary drinks served in cups greater than 16 ounces.

Many applaud the efforts as one solution to the growing problem of obesity and type 2 diabetes which is crippling the health care system.

There have been studies that have found correlations between food portion sizes and rates of obesity, blood pressure and heart disease. A report by the CDC found portions increased 75 percent between 1977 and 1991 – unsurprisingly, we’ve observed huge jumps in obesity rates as well.
Studies have shown that people with more on their plates eat nearly 50 percent more than people who are served smaller portions.