Trend toward low-cal drinks not enough to curb intake, says Conference Board
OTTAWA — A top economic research organization says Canada’s beverage industry will have to do more than rely on recent trends to reach its target for reducing the calories people consume through soft drinks and similar products amid concerns over obesity rates.
The Conference Board of Canada says the daily consumption of calories through non-alcoholic and non-dairy beverages, not including coffee and tea, dropped by 20 per cent per capita between 2004 and 2014, largely because of the marketing of low-calorie options.
The industry wants to reduce caloric intake from its products by a further 20 per cent by 2025, and asked the conference board to monitor its progress as a third-party verifier.
But the board says consumer trends alone will only get the Canadian Beverage Association about halfway to its target under what it calls a balance calories initiative.