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Java running neck-and-neck with soft drinks in US--report
Sat Mar 11, 2006 11:38 AM ET
NEW YORK (Reuters) - More Americans are drinking a cup of coffee every day, putting Java virtually neck-and-neck with such soft drinks as cola, according to an industry report released on Saturday.
Preliminary data from the National Coffee Association of USA's "2006 National Coffee Drinking Trends" showed the percent of U.S. consumers who drink coffee each day rose to 56 percent in 2006 from 53 percent in 2005 and 49 percent in 2004.
"With increases in coffee consumption from 53 percent to 56 percent, accompanied by a decline in soft-drink consumption over the last year to 57 percent, daily coffee drinkers are now statistically equal to daily soft-drink consumers," NCA said in a statement.
The report, based on a nationwide random-telephone survey, found that most of the daily consumption of coffee was driven by adults 25 to 39 years of age. Daily coffee intake from that group rose to 47 percent in 2006 from 41 percent a year ago.
Meanwhile, the survey showed 82 percent of all American adults drink coffee either daily or weekly. That's up from 80 percent in 2005.
"Americans are making coffee a bigger part of their lives, expanding attitudes and behaviors that are driving new levels of consumption," Robert Nelson, president and chief executive of NCA, said in the statement.
The United States, the world's top coffee importing nation, has seen the highest intake of brew in the Northeast, with daily consumption in that region rising to 61 percent in 2006 from 58 percent in 2004.
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