WASHINGTON, D.C. — Susan K. Neely, president and chief executive officer of the American Beverage Association (ABA), today named William M. Dermody Jr. vice president of policy for the association. 

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Susan K. Neely, president and chief executive officer of the American Beverage Association (ABA), today announced the promotion of Genevieve K. "Genna" Gent to senior vice president of government affairs for the association.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – America’s non-alcoholic beverage industry celebrates Earth Day – today and every day – through its cutting-edge sustainability practices and ongoing efforts to reduce their environmental impact.

“This study’s actual results do not show that drinking diet beverages causes cardiovascular events among any population.  The lead author also states this in a news release.  Being overweight, however, is a major risk factor for heart disease.  Diet beverage consumption has been shown to help with weight loss as part of an overall weight management plan, with numerous studies repeatedly demonstrating their benefits in helping to reduce calorie intake.”

America’s non-alcoholic beverage industry applauds First Lady Michelle Obama’s common-sense efforts to strengthen school wellness policies, including support for aligning food and beverage signage in schools to reflect what is allowed under U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) regulations. 

"No matter how you look at it, soda taxes mean fewer jobs. Americans have made it clear they don't support taxes and other restrictions on common grocery items, like soft drinks. Soda taxes have unintended consequences on middle-class jobs and small businesses. For these and other reasons, tax proposals continue to fail wherever they are introduced. Change happens when everyone works together - government, academia, healthcare and businesses like ours. It's time we collaborate to find real solutions. We hope serious thought leaders will agree."

“This study shows that children and adolescents consume less caffeine than they have in previous years. In fact, the most recent data demonstrates virtually no caffeine consumption from energy drinks among children under 12 and extremely low consumption for adolescents aged 12 to 18. Furthermore, findings from this study reaffirm that overall, consumption of caffeine from soft drinks by this group also has decreased.”

“This study shows that adult consumption of added sugars has actually declined, as recently reported by the CDC.  A significant part of that reduction is from decreased added sugars from beverages due, in part, to our member companies’ ongoing innovation in providing more low- and no-calorie options.  Furthermore, this is an observational study which cannot – and does not – show that cardiovascular disease is caused by drinking sugar-sweetened beverages.” 

“First and foremost, consumers can rest assured that our industry's beverages are safe. Contrary to the conclusions of Consumer Reports, FDA has noted there is no reason at all for any health concerns, a position supported by regulatory agencies around the world.  In fact, FDA has noted that a consumer ‘would have to drink more than a thousand cans of soda in a day to match the doses administered in studies that showed links to cancer in rodents.’ However, the companies that make caramel coloring for our members' soft drinks are now producing it to contain less 4-MEI, and nationwide use of this new caramel coloring is underway.”

“Diet beverages have been shown to be an effective tool as part of an overall weight management plan.  Numerous studies have repeatedly demonstrated the benefits of diet beverages – as well as low-calorie sweeteners, which are in thousands of foods and beverages – in helping to reduce calorie intake. Losing or maintaining weight comes down to balancing the total calories consumed with those burned through physical activity.”