By Tess Stynes
Coca-Cola Co. (KO) and Dr Pepper Snapple Group Inc. (DPS) will
participate in a program to roll out vending machines that provide
calorie counts for beverage selections in Chicago and San Antonio,
Texas.
The move comes amid a nationwide focus on the U.S.'s increasing
weight problems and the consumption of sugary beverages and snacks,
as well as calorie-laden fast-food items.
A broader rollout of the vending machine effort will begin next
year.
Though beverage companies already put nutrition information on
their packaging, the display labels on the front of the vending
machines are intended to serve as a reminder that calories
count.
The beverage industry is working with government leaders,
restaurant operators, vending machine companies and other customers
to increase availability of lower-calorie beverages in vending
machines and to add calorie labels to buttons on vending machines
to show calorie counts per beverage container.
Under the program with the American Beverage Association in the
two cities, city employees and their families will vie to see which
side can lose the most weight.
Write to Tess Stynes at Tess.Stynes@dowjones.com
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