NEW YORK (AP) - As criticism of sugary sodas
intensifies, Coke, Pepsi and Dr Pepper are rolling out new vending
machines that will put calorie counts right at your fingertips.
The move comes ahead of a
regulation that would require restaurant chains and vending machines to
post the information as early as next year, although the specifics for
complying with the requirement are still being worked out.
"They're seeing the writing
on the wall and want to say that it's corporate responsibility," said
Mike Jacobson, executive director of the Center for Science in the
Public Interest, which advocates for food safety and nutrition.
Still, he noted that it was
an important step forward. "Currently, people don't think about
calories when they go up to a vending machine," he said. "Having the
calories right on the button will help them make choices."
The American Beverage
Association, which represents Coca-Cola Co., PepsiCo Inc. and Dr Pepper
Snapple Group Inc., said the calorie counts will be on the buttons
people press to select a drink. Vending machines will also feature small
decals, such as "Calories Count: Check Then Choose."
The vending machines will launch in Chicago and San Antonio municipal buildings in 2013 before appearing nationally.
Without providing
specifics, the American Beverage Association said the machines will also
boost the availability of lower- and zero-calorie drinks.
"We have market research
that says consumers really like this - they like choice, they like the
ability to make choices," said Susan Neely, president of the industry
group.
A mock-up of a new machine
provided by Coca-Cola showed 20-ounce bottles of its flagship drink and
Sprite inside vending machines, with labels on the buttons stating "240
calories."
The soda industry has been
under fire for fueling rising obesity rates. Last month, New York City
approved a first-in-the-nation plan to prohibit the sale of sugary
drinks over 16 ounces in the city's restaurants, movie theaters and
stadiums.
Notably, the beverage
industry fought aggressively to fight the ban and hasn't ruled out
taking legal action to stop it from taking effect this spring.
This November, voters in Richmond, Calif. will also decide whether to approve a penny-per-ounce tax on sugary drinks.
The decision to post
calorie information follows the Supreme Court's decision this summer to
uphold President Barack Obama's health care overhaul, which includes a
regulation that would require restaurant chains and with more than 20
locations and vending operators with more than 20 machines to post
calorie information.
McDonald's Corp. also
announced last month that it would begin posting calorie information on
its menus nationwide. Like the soda industry, the fast-food giant said
it was a voluntary decision and not spurred by the pending requirement.
In addition to public
health concerns, soft drink makers are dealing with shifting consumer
habits. Soda consumption per person has been declining in the U.S. since
1998, according to the Beverage Digest. The decline is partly the
result of the growing number of options such as flavored waters, bottled
teas and sports drinks - which Coke, Pepsi and Dr Pepper also make.
As a result, Coke, Pepsi
and Dr Pepper are focusing on developing more diet drinks, as well as
expanding into other drinks to reduce their reliance on sodas.
There is no timetable for
when all vending machines will be converted. Coke, Pepsi and Dr Pepper
often work with third-party operators to provide drinks in vending
machines; Neely said the companies will work with those outside
operators to convert all machines over time.
Vending machines account
for about 13 percent of sales volume, a figure that has remained
relatively unchanged in recent years, according to Beverage Digest.
Soda consumption is often
identified for playing a role in rising obesity rates, although other
factors such as a lack of physical activity and overeating also
contribute.
Last month, the New England
Journal of Medicine published a decades-long study of more than 33,000
Americans that showed sugary beverages interact with genes that affect
weight, meaning they are especially harmful to people who are
hereditarily predisposed to weight gain.
Bonnie Sashin, who works as
a communications director for a nonprofit in Brookline, Mass., says she
stays away from sugary drinks, limiting herself to a can of Diet Dr
Pepper or Diet Coke about twice a month. But she thought the move to
display calorie information on vending machines was a positive
development.
"Anything that helps us be more educated about calories is a good thing," Sashin said.
