Hello, and welcome to Mind of Micah.

Today on the program, it's part two of Micah's Read of the Week about Big Beverage.

I think you're going to enjoy it.

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All right, we continue with part two.

Dairy didn't make it out of this beverage shift unscathed either.

A steady decline in milk consumption in the 2010 led to Dean Foods,

the country's largest dairy processor to file for bankruptcy in 2019.

The growing popularity of alternative milk options proved that Americans weren't closed off to new ideas,

especially ones that they considered healthier.

Plath-based options like almond, coconut, and oat milk saw sales grow 61% between 2012 and 2017.

With water on the rise and dairy out of the way,

the spotlight was primed for the ever-expanding beverage market to fulfill new needs and niches.

But while the current state of the American beverage aisle might appear to be an oasis of options,

in some ways it's a mirage.

The Centers of Disease Control and Prevention defines sugar-sweetened beverages or SSBs,

as including but not limited to, quote, regular soda,

...