U.S. exports and imports U.S. exports of mineral water are small, and are not separately reported in the foreign trade statistics of the United States. In the years immediately following World War II, when data was last available, approximately 100,000 gallons with a value of about $80,000 were exported annually. This volume was less than half that exported in the mid-twenties. The Philippine Republic, the Bahamas, Cuba, and Venezuela were among the most important markets. Imports are also small, ranging between 123,000 gallons and 230,000 gallons annually in the period 1964-68, with annual value between $130,000 and $255,000. The chief suppliers have been France, Italy, and West Germany (see table). Most imports are products wofwell-known continental spas. The price, character, and reputation of these foreign brands are such that they apparently are not completely comparable with the domestic mineral waters. February 1970 166.20 Ginger ale, ginger beer, lemonade, and soda water-- Note.--For the statutory description, see the Tariff Schedules of the United States Annotated (TSUSA-1970). U.S. trade position The United States is on an export basis for all the major products in the group. Imports and exports are small in relation to U.S. production and consumption. Description and uses This summary covers all nonalcoholic beverages except mineral waters (item 166.10) and fruit juices (items 165.15-165.65). To be nonalcoholic, the beverage must contain less than 0.5 percent alcohol (headnote 1, part 12B, schedule 1 of the Tariff Schedules of the United States Annotated). Mineral waters and fruit juices are covered in other summaries in this volume. Item 166.20 covers ginger ale, ginger beer, lemonade and soda water. Ginger ale is a sweetened carbonated beverage flavored with ginger essence. Ginger beer may be either a dealcoholized, fermented drink brewed from an infusion of ginger and other substances such as licorice extract, hops, cloves, capsicum extract, and gentian, or an artificially carbonated beverage made with brewed ginger-beer concentrate. If the brewed ginger beer product contains 0.5 percent or more of ethyl alcohol by volume it is provided for under item 167.50, other fermented alcoholic beverages. Lemonade is primarily a water solution of lemon juice and sweetener; soda water consists of flavored water charged with carbon dioxide. Club soda, which is pure water charged with carbon dioxide, used as a mix with alcoholic beverages, is also classified in 166.20. Vegetable juices (item 166.30) include the expressed juices of all vegetables, whether or not mixed one with another. The major items of domestic trade are tomato juice, and a seasoned mixture of tomato juice and the juices of carrots, celery, beets, parsley, lettuce, spinach and watercress, with tomato juice predominating. Certain other vegetable juices such as carrot, spinach, and watercress are packed for sale as dietetic beverages. Imported vegetable juices are February 1970 usually similar to the specialized dietetic vegetable juices produced domestically, but tomato juice has also been imported on occasion. Other nonalcoholic beverages (item 166.40) include but are not necessarily limited to dealcoholized beer, dealcoholized wine, coconut milk, flavored or unflavored, and "fruit juice" drinks composed of a mixture of water, fruit juice, sweetener, and citric acid. The major domestic products in this category are fruit juice drinks and dealcoholized beer. U.S. tariff treatment The column 1 rates of duty applicable to imports (see general headnote 3 in the TSUSA-1970) are as follows: cluding mixed vege- : : table juices. Jan. 1, 1972 : : 1¢ per : : : gal. 1/ : : 2¢ per 1¢ per gal. : gal. 2/ : : 1¢ per : 166.40 Beverages not special-: 2¢ per 1¢ per gal. : 1/ The final rate for this item became effective Jan. 1, 1970, at the third stage. 2/ The final rate for this item became effective Jan. 1, 1968, at the first stage. The tabulation above shows the column 1 rates in effect under the TSUS prior to January 1, 1968, and modifications therein as a result of concessions granted by the United States in the sixth round of trade negotiations under the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade. Only the final stages of the annual rate modifications are shown above (see the TSUSA-1970 for the other stages). Reductions in duty amounting to 50 percent were granted by the United States on all three items. On two of the items, 166.20 and 166.40, the reductions were put into effect on January 1, 1968 and on January 1, 1970; the full concession on item 166.30 became effective on January 1, 1968. February 1970 The average ad valorem equivalents of the specific rates of duty in effect on December 31, 1968, based on dutiable imports during 1968 were as follows: Annual consumption of soft drinks in the United States rose from 2.9 billion gallons to 4.2 billion in the period 1964-68. The annual rate of increase averaged 9 percent, compared with an average annual increase of 5 percent in 1959-63. Among the factors leading to this upsurge were: the rising population in the 10 to 29-year age group which accounts for about half of the soft drink purchases; the extension of the market for soft drinks among diet-conscious persons through promotion of brands containing nonsugar sweeteners, the increased promotion of sale in larger containers; and the introduction of new flavors. U.S. consumption of tomato juice and other vegetable juices fluctuated irregularly between 109 million gallons and 133 million gallons annually in the period 1963-67. Data for 1968 are unavailable. In most years of the past decade annual consumption per person has been equivalent to slightly more than a half a gallon, and year-to-year changes in overall consumption have generally followed the population trend. Variations from this trend have largely been associated with changes in the market for citrus juices, particularly frozen orange juice concentrate. The demand for tomato juice and for fruit juice drinks tends to increase in those years when Florida orange production is low and the price of orange juice rises. The volume of fruit juice drinks consumed in the United States rose rapidly in the early 1960's as the result of the introduction of new products, price appeal and aggressive trade promotion. Annual consumption rose from less than 140 million gallons to over 230 million, and appeared to stabilize at near that level in 1964-67. Data for 1968 are unavailable. U.S. consumption of dealcoholized beer is relatively small when compared with that of other products included in this summary. It more than doubled, however, in the period 1964-68, from 1.7 million gallons annually, to 3.7 million. Persons of Latin-American extraction are the chief consumers of these beverages in the United States. February 1970 |