Balance Calories Community Initiative
In Montgomery …
Today we joined @healthiergen & local leaders in #Montgomery #AL to kick off our work to reduce sugar & calorie intake from beverages pic.twitter.com/F6ZzakizcX
— AmeriBev (@AmeriBev) October 17, 2016
October 17, 2016 | American Beverage Association
Alliance for a Healthier Generation and America’s Beverage Companies Start Work in Montgomery and Lowndes Counties as Part of the Balance Calories Community Initiative to Help Reduce Beverage Calories Consumed
MONTGOMERY, Ala. – The Alliance for a Healthier Generation and America’s beverage companies announced today that work will begin in Montgomery and Lowndes Counties on the Balance Calories Community Initiative, a focused effort to help people reduce the calories and sugar they get from beverages. By working to change behavior within these communities, the initiative aims to help reduce beverage calories consumed per person nationally by 20 percent by 2025 – the single-largest voluntary effort by an industry to combat obesity.
The Community Initiative is a targeted component of the national agreement reached in 2014 by the Alliance, The Coca-Cola Company, Dr Pepper Snapple Group, PepsiCo and the American Beverage Association to cut calories and sugar from beverages in the American diet. Communities with high obesity rates have been specifically selected to participate in this initiative in an effort to gain new insights into the marketing and distribution of smaller portion and low- and no-calorie options in areas where the obesity challenge is the greatest.
The Community Initiative will bring an aggressive, multi-pronged approach in communities where beverage calorie reduction has lagged behind the national trend.
Associates at Montgomery Coca-Cola, a division of Coca-Cola UNITED and local bottler for our Montgomery territory, participated in an associate rally, Monday, October 17, at Westport Boulevard facility to hear how we can make a difference in our communities in the fight against obesity and promote a well-balanced lifestyle. (Click to view larger images)
“I am thrilled that Montgomery has been selected to be a part of this landmark effort to help reduce beverage calories in people’s diets,” said Montgomery Mayor Todd Strange. “Balance Calories Alabama is a great example of the private sector collaborating with government and the community to make a positive impact on our city and the lives of our citizens. We look forward to being a partner in this important initiative.”
“In order to be a prosperous county, we must be a healthy county,” said Montgomery County Commission Chairman Elton Dean. “It is a huge asset to have these American beverage companies with long-standing, deep roots in our community supporting the health and wellness of Montgomery County. Balance Calories Alabama empowers people with options and information to help them make the right choices for themselves and their families.”
With support from the Alliance, the companies will seek partnerships with local organizations and community leaders to increase the scope and impact of the initiative and drive change in the marketplace for the health and well-being of their communities.
About the Alliance for a Healthier Generation
The Alliance for a Healthier Generation, founded by the American Heart Association and the Clinton Foundation, empowers kids to develop lifelong, healthy habits, by ensuring the environments that surround them provide and promote good health. To learn more and join the movement, visit www.HealthierGeneration.org.
About the American Beverage Association
The American Beverage Association is the national trade organization representing the broad spectrum of companies that manufacture and distribute non-alcoholic beverages in the United States, including regular and diet soft drinks, bottled waters and water beverages, ready-to-drink teas, sports drinks, energy drinks, 100 percent juices and juice drinks. ABA and its member companies have a longstanding commitment to being part of the solution to obesity. For more information, please visit www.deliveringchoices.org and www.ameribev.org.