The U.S. First lady Michelle Obama led Wisconsin high school students in a toast to "the best drink in town", as part of the launching of her newest campaign to encourage people to drink more water, according to Daily Citizen.
"Water is so basic, and because it is so plentiful, sometimes we just forget about it amid all the ads we watch on television and all the messages we receive every day about what to eat and drink," Mrs. Obama said. "The truth is, water just gets drowned out."
The first lady launched the campaign for the nonprofit Partnership for a Healthier America in Watertown in part because the city has been recognized for the quality of its water.
While the new campaign is widely viewed as encouraging people to drink water rather than sugary sodas, partnership president and CEO Larry Soler said it is not about pushing a particular type of water or stressing it over other beverages.
Mrs. Obama has counseled people in the past to switch from soda to water and has talked about seeing improvement in her two daughters' health after making that change in their diets. She spoke Thursday about seeing her daughters become more alert after they began drinking more water, but she did not mention any switch from soda.
The first lady long ago backed away from criticism of soda because her anti-childhood obesity initiative, "Let's Move," is premised on the idea that change won't happen without buy-in from the food industry, New York University food scientist Marion Nestle said.
The latest campaign is backed by the American Beverage Association, which represents the makers of soft drinks, sports drinks, energy drinks and juices as well as bottled water, and the International Bottled Water Association.
Nestle said it actually helps the major soft drink companies, which have seen a decrease in soda sales and are investing heavily in promoting bottled water brands and other drinks, she said. "This is a partnership with soda companies to promote their bottled waters," Nestle said.
