The Beverage Industry

 

The Beverage Industry Is an Important Part of Indiana’s Economy

Indiana’s non-alcoholic beverage industry plays an important role in the state’s economy, providing well-paying jobs, generating significant tax dollars for the state and federal governments, and making generous charitable contributions in communities across the state.

With an economic impact of $4.3 billion, Indiana’s beverage industry provides $447.1 million in wages and contributes $259.1 million in state taxes and $476.4 million to the federal government annually.

Indiana’s beverage industry also generously contributes $57.6 million to charitable causes across the state each year.

Indiana’s Beverage Industry Provides 5,140 Jobs in the State

• Soft Drink Jobs: 2,000
• Bottled Water Jobs: 1,510
• 100 Percent Juice/Juice Drinks Jobs: 500
• Other Beverage Category Jobs: 190
• Distribution Jobs: 940

In addition to beverage production and distribution jobs, Indiana’s beverage industry supports a number of other business sectors and their employees throughout the state that benefit from the economic impact of our industry. In fact, more than 19,698 workers in restaurants, grocery stores, convenience stores, movie theaters and more depend, in part, on beverage sales for their livelihoods.

HBA members have a huge economic impact on Indiana! We are Hoosier small businesses making American products with local workers in cities and towns across the state.

The Beverage Industry Is a Major Contributor to Indiana’s Economy

Indiana’s beverage companies, many of whom are members of the American Beverage Association, make and sell some of the most popular non-alcoholic beverages in the world. With a presence felt in every corner of every community in the state – from our products in the aisles of neighborhood stores, to our local delivery drivers who distribute them, to our support of local community initiatives – you might say that the beverage industry quenches Indiana’s thirst.

About Beverages

Beverages are an important part of a healthy, balanced diet: They quench thirst, provide hydration, and also provide essential vitamins and minerals delivering needed energy to your body. In fact, many of the beverage industry’s products, including bottled water, juices, sports drinks, teas, milk, and diet soft drinks can be catalysts to health and fitness.

Health Issues

More Choices, Less Sugar

Finding balance can sometimes be a challenge. That’s why America’s beverage companies — The Coca-Cola Company, Keurig Dr Pepper and PepsiCo — are working together to drive real solutions that help reduce the sugar you get from beverages. Whether it’s providing more choices with less sugar, putting calorie information right up front, removing full-calorie soft drinks from schools or setting responsible marketing guidelines, the industry is always looking for ways to support your efforts to make every day a balanced one.

Cutting Sugar in the American Diet

The beverage industry has made a bold commitment to reduce the calories consumed from beverages by 20% per person nationally by 2025 — and are publicly reporting our progress as we committed to do when they announced this landmark initiative with Alliance for a Healthier Generation. That’s why the industry keeps innovating to create more beverage choices with less sugar than ever before, including smaller portions of your favorites. And why they are making it easier to find the beverage that’s right for you by placing clear calorie labels on every bottle, can and pack. Our efforts are making a real impact — today, nearly 60% of beverages sold have zero sugar.

Putting Calorie Info Up Front

As part of our Clear on Calories Initiative, the beverage industry added an easy-to-read calorie label to the front of every can, bottle and pack they make. The labels display the total calories per container on beverages 20 ounces or smaller. 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 before making a purchase.

Responsible Marketing Commitment

Parents know what’s best for their families. That’s why The Coca-Cola Company, Keurig Dr Pepper and PepsiCo have clear rules when it comes to marketing their beverages and children. The beverage industry is committed to listening to parents first when it comes to the beverages children consume. America’s leading beverage companies were among the first to sign on to the Children’s Food and Beverage Advertising Initiative. The Initiative increases the percentage of advertising aimed at audiences under 12 for products meeting defined nutrition standards. Compliance with the Initiative is tracked and reported annually by an independent third party.

America’s beverage companies understand that parents know best when it comes to making food and beverage choices for their kids. And parents have made it clear that they prefer water, milk or juice for their youngest children. That’s why we’re committed to working with restaurants across the country that want to adopt these options as the default beverages in children’s meals.

Removing Calories from Schools

The beverage industry promised parents that they would change the beverages offered in schools, and they delivered. The School Beverage Guidelines were a voluntary effort — in collaboration with Alliance for a Healthier Generation — that removed full-calorie sodas from schools and replaced them with more lower-calorie, smaller-portion options. In fact, the industry’s voluntary guidelines were so effective the beverage component of the USDA Smart Snacks in Schools Beverage Guidelines were largely based on them.

The Results? The beverage industry voluntarily removed full-calorie soft drinks from all K-12 schools, which has reduced beverage calories shipped to schools by more than 94%*. *Data compiled by Keybridge Research (Oct. 14, 2012)

Environment

Water

Although water is the primary ingredient in many of our beverages, the beverage industry uses a surprisingly small amount of water. In fact, we only use one-third of one percent of all public water use.

Our industry does its part to protect water resources by practicing sound environmental policies that:

1. Protect natural resources.
2. Minimize effluent, or wastewater.
3. Properly clean wastewater before it is released into the environment.
4. Reduce water consumption by employing water recycling systems that include recycled water in the production process wherever possible.
5. Help prevent groundwater contamination.
6. Enhance global water sustainability and community programs.  For example:
   • Coca-Cola’s collaboration with the World Wildlife Fund in Europe on water efficiency, and the Roundabout Playpumps in Africa, which helps bring sustainable sources of water to rural areas.
   • PepsiCo China has won awards and recognition for its involvement with the Mother Water Cellar Project, which helps provide access to water to residents in dry areas of rural China.
   • Cadbury Schweppes partnered with Kuapa Kokoo, a farmer’s cooperative and the non-profit WaterAid to help coca farming communities in Ghana build water wells.