Why Americans Are Drinking Less Soda than They Were 20 Years Ago

Christine Gallary
Christine GallarySenior Recipe Editor at The Kitchn
After graduating from Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, I worked at Cook's Illustrated and CHOW's test kitchens. I've edited and tested recipes for more than 15 years, including developing recipes for the James Beard-award winning Mister Jiu's in Chinatown cookbook. My favorite taste testers are my husband, Hayden, and daughter, Sophie.
published Oct 5, 2015
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Are you surprised to learn that full-calorie soda consumption in the United States has dropped by 25 percent in the last 20 years?

It’s the largest change in the American diet in the last century, thanks to big campaigns that raised awareness on the health detriments related to soda consumption.

As a result, the beverage industry has shifted gears in the direction of soda alternatives, like iced tea, sports drinks, and bottled and flavored waters.

Soda is seen as the new tobacco, and experts think that soda consumption will decline even more as anti-soda campaigns and policies move forward. And for diet soda? Seems like it’s headed down the same path as soda, with consumers being increasingly skeptical of artificial sweeteners.

Do you agree? And do you think soda will ever completely go away?

→ Read more: The Decline of ‘Big Soda’ from The New York Times

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Beverages
Drinks