America's leading beverage companies are committed to supporting parents' efforts to reduce the sugar in their families' diets. That's why we are supporting legislation championed by New York City Council Speaker Corey Johnson which makes water, milk or 100 percent juice the default beverages in children's meals. If parents choose, they can still order another beverage available on the menu for their children. 

"The beverage industry understands how important it is to support parents' decisions about what their young children eat and drink, and I am pleased to have the support of the American Beverage Association and its members The Coca-Cola Company, Keurig Dr Pepper and PepsiCo, among others, for this legislation," said Speaker Johnson in a press release. "This is an example of how government and industry can work together to have an impact."

America's beverage companies have long believed it is important to listen to parents. That's why we implemented national School Beverage Guidelines almost a decade ago to remove full-calorie beverages from schools. Like the School Beverage Guidelines, Speaker Johnson's proposal simply puts parents in the driver's seat to decide what's best for their children. When it comes to their youngest children, we have repeatedly heard from parents that they believe water, milk or juice are the best options. 

According to Susan Neely, president and CEO of the American Beverage Association, in addition to supporting Speaker Johnson's legislation, leading beverage companies "will also work with our customers across the country who are interested in voluntarily adopting this standard." 

We will continue to listen to parents and provide them with the right options for their families because we know that when the public and private sectors work together we can achieve real change for the benefit of families and children.