Canadian Beverage Association wants to reduce non-alcoholic beverage caloric intake
By Canadian Packaging staff
General Balance Calories Canadian Beverage Association CBA Conference Board of Canada non-alcoholic beverage industrIndustry aims to reduce beverage calories in the Canadian diet by 20 percent over the next 10 years.
TORONTO—Canada’s beverage manufacturers and Canadian Beverage Association (CBA), which represents Canada’s non-alcoholic beverage industry, have launched the Balance Calories initiative.
The program is aimed at reducing the number of calories Canadians consume from non-alcoholic beverages by 20 percent over the next decade through product innovation and marketing.
This is a substantial and unique voluntary effort by an industry to help fight obesity and will transform the beverage landscape in Canada. This commitment includes all non-alcoholic refreshment beverages excluding milk and other dairy products, hot coffees and teas.
The Canadian beverage industry has a successful track record of leading voluntary initiatives. They include restricting marketing to children, eliminating full-calorie soft drinks from schools, and implementing front-of-pack calorie labeling, an initiative known as Clear on Calories.
Through product and packaging innovations, the industry in Canada has already facilitated a 20 percent reduction per capita in beverage calories since 2004. Recognizing this important trend, and projecting that achievements over the past decade will not organically sustain in the coming years, the Balance Calories goal of a further 20 percent reduction is the industry’s next proactive campaign to continue promoting healthier lifestyles and balance.
“We are committed to providing consumers with more low- and no-calorie choices, smaller portions and fewer calories. Balance Calories highlights the commitment of Canada’s non-alcoholic beverage industry to support balanced, healthy lifestyles for all Canadians,” says Canadian Beverage Association president Jim Goetz. “We will leverage our strengths in marketing and innovation and our vast distribution networks to work toward our goal.”
The Conference Board of Canada, an independent, evidence-based, action-oriented research organization with a non-partisan, balanced perspective, is partnered with Canadian Beverage Association and its members to benchmark and verify progress of this program.
“Healthy food is one of the five elements outlined in The Conference Board of Canada’s Food Strategy where we addressed the powerful impact of dietary patterns on the health and well-being of Canadians,” says The Conference Board of Canada vice-president of industry and business strategy Michael Bloom. “We are pleased to join this initiative as a long-term partner to collectively determine success metrics as we share the same belief that food and diet improve personal health and help Canadians live longer, healthier lives.”
Balance Calories is designed to:
- Increase consumer awareness of calorie balance through a national, multi-year engagement and advocacy program;
- Increase interest-in and access-to reduced calorie beverage options.
Over the course of the next few months, CBA members, Conference Board of Canada, and in consultation with other public, private and not-for-profit stakeholders will determine appropriate benchmarks, measurement criteria and specific immediate and long-term action items to support Balance Calories.
As Balance Calories program benchmarks and measurement criteria are confirmed, and the program moves into the execution phase, CBA and Conference Board of Canada will keep stakeholders and the Canadian public up-to-date on its progress and roll-out plans.
Established in 1942, the Canadian Beverage Association is the national industry association representing the broad spectrum of companies that manufacture and distribute the majority of non-alcoholic refreshment beverages consumed in Canada.
The association represents more than 60 brands of juices, juice drinks, bottled waters, sports drinks, ready-to-serve iced teas and coffees, carbonated soft drinks, energy drinks, and other non-alcoholic beverages. Association information can be found at www.canadianbeverage.ca.
For more information on the Balance Calories initiative, visit www.balancecalories.ca.
Image from http://www.thinkstockphotos.ca/
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