Soda Consumption Declines
With the consumption of soda in the U.S falling for the tenth year in a row, soft drink companies are looking at a variety of options to capture consumer interest. Soda sales in the US have been gradually diminishing as consumers grow more concerned about their sugar consumption, with even diet soda, which was once seen as the healthier alternative, seeing falling sales as consumers have begun to turn away from artificial sweeteners. To counter this trend soft drink companies have got creative by introducing a variety of new products within the RTD (Ready to Drink) tea and sparkling water markets, with RTD tea in particular having reached US $5.3 billion of U.S. sales in 2014. In addition, according to industry tracker Beverage Marketing Corp. U.S. bottled-water consumption totalled 10.87 billion gallons in 2014, up 7.3% from 2013, its fastest growth rate since 2006.
