Despite reports that say drinking soda is harmful to your health, carbonated soft drinks comprise more than a fifth of beverage sales.
That’s about to change, according to the Beverage Marketing Corp.
By 2016, bottled water is expected to be the No. 1 packaged beverage sold in the U.S.
That’s ahead of soda, ahead of juice, ahead of beer.
According to preliminary data from the BMC, sales of bottled water are expected to reach $13 billion in 2014, an increase of 6.1 percent from last year.
Sales of bottled water will make up almost 18 percent of beverage sales this year.
The International Bottled Water Association says sales of the beverage have been increasing since 1976, likely due to health concerns. On a per capita basis, every American drank 1.6 gallons of bottled water in 1976.
This year, that figure is projected to reach 34.2 gallons, the most ever.
