Nov 15, 2004 11:07 AM, from staff and wire reports

The National Soft Drink Association has changed its name to the American Beverage Association (ABA) to better reflect the expanded range of non-alcoholic beverages the industry produces. The 85-year-old, Washington-based group represents firms that make and distribute non-alcoholic beverages.

“Consumer demand for more choices has spawned what some are calling a ‘bevolution,’” said Will Ball, ABA president. He cited rising sales of bottled water, sports drinks, and diet soft drinks, and the introduction of thousands of non-alcoholic beverages into the United States in 2003.

Single-serve bottled water sales increased 21.5%, and single-serve sports drinks sales rose by 17.9% in 2003. The growth of diet soft drinks has climbed the past four years, and the category now represents 27.4% of all carbonated soft drinks sold in the nation. According to Mintel’s Global New Products Database, more than 5,200 new ready-to-drink, non-alcoholic beverages were introduced in the United States in 2003 alone.