Once upon a time, high schoolers would base their entire student-government campaigns on one major promise: "Vote for me, and I'll get a soda machine in the cafeteria." It seems funny now, but there was a time when Coke and Pepsi were a regular part of our diets. Of course, nutritional education has come a long way since then. Now, we know that soda and other sugar-filled drinks can wreak havoc on our health. And, it looks like consumers in the U.S. are finally making the move away from carbonated beverages.
Reuters reports that soda sales are at their lowest point since 1995. The total fell 3% in 2013, with the sale of 8.9 billion cases. And, 2013 was the ninth consecutive year the industry saw decline. Of course, a focus on eradicating childhood obesity and a growing awareness about the negative effects of sugar on your health are two likely two reasons for the drop. Still, we all have a long way to go before pop is a thing of the past. And, our Diet Coke habit certainly isn't helping the cause. (Time)