Canadian Beverage Association Balance Calories Initiative a success
By Canadian Packaging staff
Food Safety General Balance Calories Initiative beverage calorie reduction Canadian Beverage Association Canadian Community Health Survey 2016 CBA Clear on Calories GlobalData Government of Canada The Conference Board of CanadaConference Board of Canada update on Balance Calories Initiative shows an unprecedented 10.2% reduction in calories.
TORONTO—The Canadian Beverage Association (CBA), which represents Canada’s non-alcoholic beverage industry, is proud to provide Canadians with an update on the successful progress of the Balance Calories Initiative (BCI).
The Canadian Beverage Association Balance Calories Initiative: 2017 Tracking Report, prepared by The Conference Board of Canada, shows that in the first two years of BCI alone, calories have been reduced by an unprecedented 10.2 per cent. That means that since 2004 there has been an almost 30 percent reduction in calories consumed from non-alcoholic beverages by Canadians according to GlobalData market data.
The Conference Board Report also noted in their report that data collected from the Government of Canada’s own Canadian Community Health Survey 2016, corroborates this reduction of almost 30 percent in calories consumed per capita/per day since 2004.
Despite calories from beverages declining by 30 percent since 2004, obesity continues to be a rising concern in Canada.
This significant decrease has been driven by innovative measures; reformulation, smaller portion sizes and more low/no-calories options for Canadian consumers. In 2017 alone CBA member companies launched more than two dozen new low/no-calorie products into the Canadian market place.
“It is clear that Balance Calories is working,” says Canadian Beverage Association president Jim Goetz. “Our members have successfully removed millions of calories from sugar out of Canadians’ diets, we are supporting better health outcomes for Canadians but promoting calorie balance and reducing the amount of sugar Canadians consume.”
Balance Calories Initiative is a voluntary initiative by members of the Canadian Beverage Association, launched in 2015 with the goal of reducing calories consumed from non-alcoholic beverages per capita/per day by 20 percent by 2025.
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.
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