Reebok Nixes Soda From Global Headquarters Removes Vending Machines

CANTON, MA -- The athletic footwear and apparel company said it is eliminating soda at its global headquarters here as part of a wider cut of products that contain added sugar.

The announcement comes on the heels of a companywide sugar-reduction initiative in 2015 and a Reebok survey that pointed to some of the lengths people say they will go to get their sugar fix, particularly when it comes to soda. Nearly 30% of those surveyed said they would rather give up their pinky toe than soda, and three in 10 said they would prefer to lose their jobs than kick the soda habit.

Reebok enlisted the help of its staff to remove its existing closed-front soda vending machines from its campus. Reebok trainer Austin Malleolo reportedly flipped one of the machines out of the building. The company did not say who operates the machines and whether they've been replaced, or with what types of products or equipment.

In addition to sodas and sugary beverages, Reebok is forbidding large candy bars, fried foods, white breads and pastas from the company campus.