Are healthier drinks the key to Coca-Cola's future?

As the demand for sugary soda declines, the world's largest soft-drink maker may need to turn to water and juices

More and more Americans are swapping soda for water and juice.
(Image credit: Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Coca-Cola, the world's largest soda company, on Tuesday reported a profit of $1.87 billion for the fourth quarter, despite declining demand in North America for its signature soft drinks. The company said soft drink volume declined 2 percent in the quarter, though that was offset by a steady climb in sales for products like Dasani water, Powerade, Honest Tea, and Simply Orange, leading to a 1 percent bump in overall sales volume.

That dynamic may be Coca-Cola's key to success in the future, as Americans increasingly ditch soft drinks in favor of healthier fare. According to Duane D. Stanford at Bloomberg:

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Ryu Spaeth

Ryu Spaeth is deputy editor at TheWeek.com. Follow him on Twitter.