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Is soda companies' vow to 'cut calories' a marketing ploy?

Posted at 7:08 PM, Sep 24, 2014
and last updated 2014-09-25 06:13:56-04

This week New York is hosting the 10th annual Clinton Global Initiative.

And just three days into the meeting, an announcement made by former President Bill Clinton has dominated headlines.

Soda giants Coca-Cola, PepsiCo and the Dr Pepper Snapple Group have pledged to cut 20 percent of the calories Americans consume from their sugary beverages by 2025.

The voluntary agreement between the American Beverage Association and the Alliance for a Healthier Generation is part of the effort to help lower obesity rates in the U.S.

Now, when you take a look at the headlines, it sounds like the soda companies will be reducing the number of calories in their beverages, right?

Wrong. No ingredients will be tampered with for this initiative. Instead, the companies have said they will alter the way they market and distribute the sugary products — drinks that admittedly make up the majority the soft drink giants' revenue. 

Find out more with this Newsy video.