Changes

*James Quincey, President and CEO of Coca-Cola: $1,300,000 (2017) <ref>Investis, [http://otp.investis.com/clients/us/cocacola_company1/SEC3/sec-show.aspx?Type=html&FilingId=12024077&CIK=0000021344&Index=10000 " United States Securities and Exchange Commission Schedule 14A Information for PepsiCo, Inc.,"] April 2, 2018.</ref>

------In August 2005, the ABA announced a new school-based policy to provide lower calorie and/or nutritious beverages to schools and to limit the availability of soft drinks at the annual meeting of the National Conference of State Legislatures <li>2017 Michigan House Bill 4999<ref>American Beverage AssociationMichigan Legislature, press release [http://www.ameribevlegislature.mi.comgov/news-detail(S(cgbw1hvig5pwv5icif5gkzkd))/indexmileg.aspx?nidpage=53 getobject&objectname=2017-HEBH-4999 "Beverage Industry Announces New School Vending PolicyLegislative Bill Search Document - H.B. 4999,"] August 16, 20052017.</ref> "The first salvo sponsored by Rep. Rob Verheulen in a broader publicthe House and R-relations counterattack by beverage companies to help the industry reverse its tarnished image", the ''Wall Street Journal'' reportsWalker, is voluntary restrictions on drink sales in schoolsSen. The guidelinesPeter MacGregor, touted "in fullR-page ads in several national newspapersRockford," suggest that new school contracts remove carbonated soft drinks from elementary schools was introduced Sept. 20 and remove sugary drinks from middle schools during school hours signed into law on Oct. All beverages will continue to be sold in high schools31.<ref name="McKay">Betsy McKayThe bill bans an excise tax “on the manufacture, distribution, wholesale sale, [http://onlineor retail sale of food for immediate consumption or nonimmediate consumption.wsj.com/article/0” A host of agricultural interests registered in favor of the bill including the Michigan Farm Bureau,Michigan Sugar Company,SB112423461722614960Michigan Sheep Producers,00.html?mod=todays_us_marketplace "Soda Marketers Will Cut Back Sales to Schools"]Michigan Soybean Association, ''Wall Street Journal''Michigan Cattlemen’s Association, August 17Michigan Potato Growers and more making it a “farm interests” bill. In addition, 2005the Michigan Manufacturers Association was involved as was the National Federation of Independent Businesses. NFIB testified in favor of the bill and was credited by the media as being a major play. NFIB is a large trade association that has worked to preempt paid sick days and city-based minimum wage hikes.</refli>

Susan Neely<li>2018 Arizona HB 2484, authored by Rep. T.J. Shope. This bill <ref>AZ Legislature, [https://apps.azleg.gov/BillStatus/BillOverview/70547?SessionId=119 "Bill History for HB2484, "the creator of the [[Harry and Louise ads defeat health care reform|'Harry and Louise' ads]] that helped torpedo [[President Clinton]]'s health-care plan in the early 1990sJanuary 30," heads the industry group and is leading the "multimillion-dollar advertising and PR campaign to show that the 2018.</ref> broadly discusses food taxation not just a beverage industry derives tax or a substantial portion soda tax. The groups registered against the bill include: Arizona Retailers Association, Arizona Restaurant Association, Arizona Beverage Association, Arizona Food Marketing Alliance, Arizona Free Enterprise Club, Arizona Tax Research Association, Arizona Chamber of its sales Commerce and growth from healthier beveragesIndustry, United Dairymen of Arizona." Neely told CMD has submitted an open records request to the ''Wall Street Journal'', "you have to have an industry voicebill authors for more information."<ref name="McKay"/li>

"Soda <li>In Washington State, industry touts school ban to quiet obesity critics," reads the ''PR Week'' headline on started a story outlining the soft-drink industry's latest defensive move in response to national concerns about childhood obesity. Even leading food-industry publication "Vending Market Watch" noted state wide ballot initiative campaign that, "This new policy is clearly designed to counteract criticism from consumer activists and politicians who say the beverage industry is profiting at children's expense" <ref>Elliot Maras, Beverage Industry Group Supporters Limiting Carbonated Soda would prevent other cities in Schools, "Vending Market Watch," August 17, 2005.</ref> PR giant [[Porter Novelli]] is working with the American Beverage Association to promote the trade group's school vending policystate from implementing a similar tax. The voluntary code recommends some limits on the sale of sugary carbonated beverages in schoolsinitiative committee Yes! To Affordable Groceries was registered February 26, but still allows for sales of juices and sports drinks2018.<ref name="Porter Novelli">John N. FrankPublic Disclosure Commission, [http://wwwweb.pdc.prweekuswa.com/Soda-industry-touts-school-ban-to-quiet-obesity-criticsgov/article/53069rptimg/ default.aspx?docid=4702025 "Soda industry touts school ban to quiet obesity criticsPolitical Committee Registration,"], ''PR Week'', August February 26, 20052018.</ref></li>

According to ''PR Week'', Porter Novelli "will assist [ABA] in talking about the new policy with educators, parents, legislators, regulators, and other groups interested in school nutrition issues." The group has already run full-page ads in ''The New York Times'', ''The Washington Post'', and ''USA Today'' publicizing its new policy. Porter Novelli also worked on developing the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Guide Pyramid.<ref name="Porter Novelli"/ol>

The ABA policy, however, has no government enforcement or oversight mechanism, and only applies to vending machines, imposing no restrictions on other venues where drinks are sold in schools, such as school canteens and sporting events. The policy applies only to new school contracts, too; it can be amended to old agreements only with the consent of both parties. Beverages are also sold to schools through local distributors, which operate under the jurisdiction of their parent companies, and as such, have the ultimate say regarding which products are made available to schools and under what terms <ref>Michele Simon "Appetite for Profit: How the Food Industry Underminds Our Health and How to Fight Back," Nation Books: 2006, pg 14-15.</ref> This point is conceded by the ABA itself: "the success of the policy is dependent on voluntary implementation of it by individual beverage companies and by school officials"<ref>American Beverage Association, press release [http://www.ameribev.com/news-detail/index.aspx?nid=53 "Beverage Industry Announces New School Vending Policy,"] August 16, 2005.</ref> In the months after ABA's announcement, Iowa lawmakers rejected a bill aimed at removing soda from schools. Democratic Governor [[Tom Vilsack]] supported the move and applauded the American Beverage Association for its leadership in "taking pop out of machines located in elementary and middle schools" <ref>Tom Dorman, Vilsack: Educate Kids on Making Good Food Choices, "Quad-City Times," February 16, 2006.</ref> Massachusetts legislators introduced a bill that basically mirrored the ABA's voluntary policy a few months later.<ref> Tracy Jan, A Sweet Tooth is Tough to Pull: Even When Schools Ban Candy Machines, Pupils Indulge, "Boston Globe," February 15, 2006.</ref>=Other Groups Involved==

Taking a different tack, The ABA is getting help from many groups who have been previously involved in May 2006, preemption battles. Affiliates of the American Beverage Association joined U.S. Chamber of Commerce have been active in local fights along with soda companiesrestaurant and grocers associations. Front group propagator and master propagandist Richard Berman cut ads in Sante Fe for a State Policy Network “think tank, the [[Clinton Foundation]] ” prompting an ethics complaint. State Policy Network groups have been producing and promoting questionable research saying that the [[American Heart Association]] to announce a new voluntary school policy to limit soda tax harms the portion size and number of calories available to students <ref>Clinton Foundation [http://wwweconomy.clintonfoundation.org/news/news-media/050306-nr-cf-hs-hk-usa-pr-healthy-school-beverage-guidelines-set-for-united-states-schools "Alliance for a Healthier Generation An ALEC legislator successfully preempted local food and Industry Leaders Set Healthy School Beverage Guidelines for Unutrition policies with an ALEC “model bill” in Kansas.S. Schools"] May 3And the National Federation of Independent Businesses, which has been battling paid sick leave ordinances, 2006lobbied in favor of soda tax preemption in Michigan.</ref>

==Political contributionsFinancials==The American Beverage Association made the following political contributions to federal candidates through its [[political action committee]] as of December 2010:<ref>[http://www.opensecrets.org/pacs/lookup2.php?strID=C00100107&cycle=2010 PAC Summary Data], ''Open Secrets'', accessed December 2010.</ref><table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="5" border="1"><tr><th>Election cycle</th><th>Amount</th><th>To Democrats</th><th>To Republicans</th></tr><tr><td>2010</td><td align="right">$133,002</td><td align="center">69%</td><td align="center">31%</td></tr><tr><td>2008</td><td align="right">$120,865</td><td align="center">45%</td><td align="center">55%</td></tr><tr><td>2006</td><td align="right">$107,357</td><td align="center">22%</td><td align="center">77%</td></tr></table>

==Lobbying==The American Beverage Association spent was a $18,850,000 for [[lobbying]] in 2009.<ref>[http://www.opensecrets.org/lobby/clientsum.php?year=2009&lname=American+Beverage+Assn&id= Lobbying expenditures], Open Secrets, accessed December 201078 million dollar operation as of 2015 according to their IRS 990.</ref>

The ABA partnered up with Coke in Philadelphia to lobby against similar legislation1) Center for Media and Democracy articlesBILLS TO BAN LOCAL SODA TAXES ARE MOVING IN THE STATES, COKE AND PEPSI BORROW FROM THE TOBACCO PLAYBOOKhttps: "In Philadelphia, they defeated a modest tax on soft drinks by using the //www.exposedbycmd.org/2018/03/28/bills-ban-local-soda-taxes-moving-states-coke-pepsi-borrow-tobacco industry tactic of applying strategic philanthropy to purchase leverage in the form of goodwill. The ABA formed a deceptively-named front group, the Foundation for Healthy America, that they then used to funnel a $10 million donation to the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia to, of all thingsplaybook/
SODA MONEY FLOWS INTO COOK COUNTY RACES, expand its obesity program." <ref> [BUT COMES UP FLAThttps://www.prwatchexposedbycmd.org/news2018/201103/1029/11053/alecsoda-money-andflows-cocacook-colacounty-classicraces-collaboration ALEC and Cocacomes-Cola: A "Classic" Collaboration] PR Watch, October 12, 2011, accessed October 21, 2011 <flat/ref>

==Personnel==As 2) Website of December 2010 includes:<ref>[httpGrassroots Change and the “Preemption Watch” newsletter https://wwwgrassrootschange.ameribev.orgnet/about-aba/aba-team/ ABA team], American Beverage Association, accessed December 2010.</ref>*[[Susan Neely]], President*[[James A. McGreevy III]], Senior Vice President, Government Affairs*[[Maureen Storey]], Senior Vice President, Science Policy*[[Kevin W. Keane]], Senior Vice President, Public Affairs*[[Barbara Hiden]], Vice President, Federal Affairs*[[Tracey A. Halliday]], Vice President, Communications

Board:*Chair [[Tom L. Bené]] (Tom L. Bene), President, [[PepsiCo|Pepsi-Cola]] North America Beverages *Vice Chair [[Claude B. Nielsen]], Chairman and Chief Executive Officer [[Coca-Cola]] Bottling Company United*[[William B. Cyr]] (Billy Cyr3), President and Chief Executive Officer Sunny Delight Beverages Co.*Jim Johnston, President, Beverage Concentrate Sales and Latin American Beverages, Dr Pepper Snapple Group  ==Associations==*[[Alliance for Better Foods]], ABA was associated with this front group when it was called National Soft Drink Association*[[American Council for Fitness and Nutrition]], ABA is a member*[[American Council on Science and Health]], front group supported by ABA*[[Coalition for a Democratic Workplace]], ABA is a member Website of front group opposing unions*[[International Food Information Council]], when ABA was called National Soft Drink Association ==Contact details==American Beverage Association<br>1101 16th St. NW<br>Washington, DC 20036<br>Main Telephone NumberLocal Solutions Support Center http: (202) 463- 6732<br>Fax Number: (202) 659//leap-5349<br>Press Questions: (202) 463-6770<br>Email: info AT ameribevpreemption.org<br>Web: http://wwwindex.ameribev.org ==Articles and resources=====Related SourceWatch articles===*[[Industry-funded organizations]]*[[International Bottled Water Association]]*[[Obesity PR]]*[[The Food Industry Campaign to Undermine 'Chew On This']]html