American Beverage Association CEO: Our Market-Based Solutions Can Help Achieve MAHA Objectives

Market-based solutions can help achieve the grander Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) objectives, American Beverage Association (ABA) President Kevin Keane said on Tuesday during a wide-ranging interview in Washington, DC, with Breitbart News Washington Bureau Chief Matthew Boyle, in which Keane emphasized that the beverage industry is “all in” on making America healthy.

Key themes of the interview centered around the beverage industry’s focus on investment, innovation, and creating more choice for consumers that are in line with the MAHA agenda.

Speaking about this uniquely American industry, Keane explained that it is far more than three big companies. Rather, it is a constellation of small businesses — a system of companies — that are embedded into the fabric of America and are actively investing in their communities.

“We’re embedded and entrenched in communities across the country through our system of bottlers,” he said, emphasizing that investment and innovation are key components of what they do. It is the free market at work.

“They want to invest, they want to build, they want to grow. And that’s what the president is looking for, frankly,” he said, explaining to the audience how his industry offers market-based solutions for issues connected directly to the MAHA agenda.

Boyle posed a question on an age-old debate related to taxpayers subsidizing sugary drinks via the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), better known as food stamps.

“The questions being asked on SNAP are fair questions,” Keane said, citing that he used to work for former Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson, who served as Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary during former President George W. Bush’s first term.

“He [Thompson] is known as the father of welfare reform. We had these SNAP debates back then,” Keane explained. “And one of the decisions we made at the time was … you’re trying to get people off of welfare into work and off of entitlements. We thought it might undermine things if we went in and started micromanaging the grocery cart,” he said.

“So, if there are questions on limitations in SNAP, fair question; but when they’re limited, are they really going to have the impact and the outcome you’re looking for when you’re just looking at one or two products?” Keane added.

As for his industry, he believes its innovations already go hand in hand with the greater MAHA agenda, which he referred to as a “great endeavor.”

“Making America healthy again—who can be against that?” Keane said. “I mean, we want strong, healthy, vibrant communities. And one of the things we’re proud of — and one of the reasons we wanted to come in and talk to you today — we’re going to be out there much more on this,” he added, noting the work the beverage industry has been conducting over the last two decades to provide consumers with alternatives.

“Go down your beverage aisle today. I’m sure you’ve noticed the difference, all the different choices that you have. In fact, a lot of those choices were created with some risk, entrepreneurial risk, by our companies,” he said, explaining that they knew that there were countless people out there who wanted options without sugar or, at the very least, with less sugar.

“So, they started to create that — not just in the soft drinks. You know, you had Diet Coke and Diet Pepsi, obviously, but they took some risk and did a Coke Zero Sugar and a Pepsi Zero Sugar and a Dr Pepper Zero Sugar. They give more options to people,” he said. What’s more, Keane noted that there is an entirely new slew of products with zero sugar options — from teas to sports drinks to hydration drinks, sparkling waters, and energy drinks (the latter of which is wildly popular on Capitol Hill).

“So, all of these options give people true and meaningful choice. So, if there are public policy concerns about the consumption of sugar and calories, fair question,” Keane said, making it clear that the beverage industry is “doing something about it” through innovation.

And consumers apparently are responding to these innovations. Keane went on to share an eye-opening statistic: “60 percent of the beverages Americans buy today — 60 percent — have zero sugar.”

“So, that tells you, not only are we creating these new choices, but they’re great tasting choices, they’re choices that people want to buy and spend their money on,” he said, doubting that there is another industry that can match this record of innovation and dedication to addressing policy concerns, all while anticipating where the consumers will go next. He used the example of prebiotic beverages like Poppi, which Pepsi purchased. He noted that Coca Cola is set to come out with its own prebiotic soda as well.

Keane also emphasized that being part of American culture is important to the industry. And what greater way to be part of American culture than to have the nation’s leaders enjoying their products, which is the case with President Donald Trump’s fondness for Diet Coke and Vice President JD Vance’s love of Diet Mountain Dew. “We’re refreshments. We don’t make ourselves out to be anything more, and we’re certainly not anything less.”

But ultimately, Keane assured, “We’re all in on this Make America Healthy.”

“We’ve been working at that for quite some time,” he added.

Watch the full video of the interview above or here: