When it comes to living a healthy life, balance is key. In addition to work-life balance, balancing what you eat, drink, and do is just as essential. Of course, not everybody requires the same type of food, drink or number of calories.
So, how do you achieve balance? By getting clear about what you’re consuming. Get to know how the Florida Beverage Association, in partnership with the American Beverage Association, is helping to achieve balanced lifestyles by getting clear on calories.
Why Is Balance Important?
A balanced, adequate and varied diet is essential to a happy and healthy lifestyle. Moreover, a healthy diet can protect the human body against a variety of diseases, such as obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and more. The Florida Beverage Association is committed to working alongside businesses, individuals, academia, government, and community organizations to develop solutions and promote healthy and balanced lifestyles for everyone.
Clear on Calories
The Clear on Calories Initiative and Calories Count™ Beverage Vending Program support Floridians in reducing the amount of calories and sugar they consume in their beverages. We provide an easy-to-read calorie label on the front of every can, bottle, and pack we produce in conjunction with this initiative. The labels display the total calories per container on 20 ounces or smaller beverages. For containers larger than 20 ounces, calories are labeled per 12 ounces in most cases. On vending machines, calorie labels are right on the buttons to make it easier to choose the beverage that’s right for you.
Our Efforts
We know there is no silver bullet in solving the obesity issue in the U.S. An imbalanced diet ― where too many calories are consumed versus expended ― can create a variety of risk factors, including heart disease, obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, and inflammation. That’s why the American Beverage Association has committed to reducing the calories consumed from beverages by 20% per person throughout the U.S. by 2025. The industry is constantly adapting to find new ways to lessen sugar intake in your favorite beverages. Here are a few ways we’re supporting those efforts:
Spreading the Word ― We believe balance is key to a healthy diet and lifestyle. You’ll see stickers on coolers, vending machines, and displays in-store reminding you to think “balance what you eat drink and do” when making your beverage choices.
More Choices, Less Sugar ― In partnership with the American Beverage Association, we’re leveraging the industry’s power of innovation to offer more beverage choices with less sugar or no sugar at all, such as sparkling, flavored, and bottled waters, and zero-calorie sports drinks, teas, and soft drinks.
Clear on Calories ― We’re promoting calorie awareness and balance on point-of-sale equipment nationwide to help consumers make informed choices. In addition, you’ll find easy-to-read calorie information on the front of every beverage, can, and pack so you can make the choice that’s right for you.
We’re proud to say that these efforts are making a significant impact. Today, nearly 60% of beverages sold have zero sugar! To learn more about our efforts, visit HERE.