American’s Switching to Water

(dBTechno) – No matter where you go you will probably see someone drinking a can or bottle of soda. Water has quickly risen as the top drink amongst Americans.

For decades on average Americans would consume 54 gallons of soda a year.

Now Americans are only drinking an average of 44 gallons per year. Bottled water’s consumption has nearly doubled at the same time.

This change is undoubtedly driven by the soda industry being under fire for the nation’s obesity epidemic. Awareness for soda’s health risks has risen and so has avoidance for the product. Since the 1980’s people have been steadily drinking more and more soda in the United States. After an all time high in the 1990’s consumption of the soft drinks started to decline.

TheWeek.Com writes:

Like many terrible things, it has its roots in the ’80s. That’s when the Cola Wars began, with Coca-Cola and Pepsi both pouring millions into competing ads. Mark Bittman of The New York Times points out that the Cola Wars never really stopped, citing the $50 million that Pepsi gave Beyonce to support her “creative projects,” which he calls “an odd move for a politically aware woman who, with her husband, Jay-Z, raised money for President Obama and supported Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move campaign, meant to encourage children to exercise.”

Consumers turned to bottled water as an alternative to the carbonated beverages. Bottled water was now being sold in easy to carry containers. Bottled water before the 1990’s was sold mainly in large jugs like milk to people who did not trust their tap.

It turns out, though, that corporate marketing may also be America’s salvation. Following a concerted push by beverage companies to convince consumers to buy water in a bottle, as opposed to turning on the old tap, the consumption of bottled water has skyrocketed to 21 gallons a year per capita. Furthermore, public awareness of soda’s deleterious health effects has become more widespread.

The amount of bottled water Americans drink has been on a steady rise for the past two decades. Undoubtedly the soda like packaging helped fast track the increase in bottled water consumption.

Sources
How water defeated soda to become America’s number one drink
http://theweek.com/article/index/241200/how-water-defeated-soda-to-become-americas-number-one-drink

Move over, soda — the bottled water business is booming
http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/health/move-soda-americans-love-water-article-1.1285287

Soda Drinkers Switching to Water
http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/business/2013/03/soda-drinkers-switching-to-water/