The American Beverage Association’s new “Good to Know” transparency initiative is a welcome example of private industry answering the call for more information without waiting for another heavy-handed regulation from Washington. The effort centralizes ingredient facts and promises clearer, consumer-friendly explanations so people can make their own choices about what they put in their bodies.
Kevin Keane, the ABA’s president and CEO, has been blunt: the industry believes in meaningful choice and accessible transparency, not government mandates that strain families and small retailers. That message matters because it frames public health as a marketplace triumph—innovation, not edict, has expanded choices for Americans.
This isn’t empty spin. The trade group points out that nearly 60 percent of beverages sold today contain zero sugar, reflecting real consumer demand for options that don’t force a false choice between taste and health. When companies compete to deliver better products, consumers win; that’s conservative governance in practice—freedom to choose, rewarded by market results.
Instead of rushing to ban or tax, the ABA is also pushing sensible regulatory updates, including modernizing the GRAS process so consumers can have more confidence without stifling research and reformulation. Conservatives should applaud reforms that increase transparency and accountability while preserving the flexibility that allows American firms to innovate and compete.
Let’s be clear: activists and bureaucrats often prefer blunt instruments—prohibitions, punitive taxes, and scare campaigns—rather than the harder work of developing better products that customers actually want. The beverage industry’s voluntary steps—front-of-pack labeling, school policy changes, and thousands of low- and zero-sugar options—show that free markets, not new mandates, drive sustained progress.
Americans deserve information, not infantilization. If the ABA’s Good to Know initiative helps families sort fact from fear and pushes regulators to modernize antiquated processes, that is a win for personal responsibility and common-sense reform. Lawmakers should resist the urge to grandstand and instead empower consumers and entrepreneurs to keep improving products.
For conservatives who care about liberty and public health, the right path is obvious: back transparency and market-driven solutions, demand smarter regulation that protects safety without crushing innovation, and hold officials accountable when they substitute ideology for evidence. The beverage industry’s move toward more openness should be met with praise, not suspicion, as a model for how American business can lead rather than be led by a Washington that too often prefers control over common sense.
