Bottled water consumption surpasses soda, milk a distant third

Thursday, May 2, 2013

American consumers drink 58 gallons or 220.4 litres of bottled water annually, replacing soda pop as the favourite beverage, says Associated Press, citing a survey by industry tracker Beverage Digest. Soda consumption now sits at about 44 gallons. That's not good news for corn growers who sell to the companies producing the sweetener for soda pop, but they can fall back on ethanol sales to keep their market up.

Taking a much bigger hit, and with fewer options, is the dairy industry. U.S. milk sales are at their lowest levels in decades, about 20 gallons (76 litres) per capita, down from 30 gallons in 1970. The dairy industry has known for a while sales are critical but can't get past it. Consumption of whole milk in particular has taken a beating. Pass the cheese, please! BF