US: ABA gives figure spent on US lobbying

22 August 2007 | Source: just-drinks.com editorial team

The American Beverage Association has declared that it spent almost US$200,000 lobbying the federal government in the US in the first half of this year.

The trade organisation, which represents soft drinks, water, juice and energy drink companies in the US, said earlier this month that it spent $198,000 on lobbying Congress in the US for its members in the six-month period.

Among the areas covered were child obesity and nutrition, school lunches and labour relations, the ABA said in a filing to the Senate's public records office.

Earlier this year, the ABA moved to quell fears of the presence of benzene in soft drinks. The organisation worked in tandem with the US Food and Drug Administration to produce a guidance document to mitigate the potential for benzene formation in beverages.