Soda sales decline accelerated in 2012: report

The decline in U.S. sales of carbonated soft drinks accelerated last year as more consumers reached for alternatives, according to a leading beverage industry newsletter.

Total sales volume fell 1.2 percent in 2012 to 9.17 billion cases, according to Beverage Digest. That compares with declines of 1 percent in 2011 and 0.5 percent in 2010.

Excluding fast-growing energy drinks such as Red Bull and Monster Beverage Corp products, soda volume would have fallen 1.7 percent, the newsletter said.

By company, Coca-Cola Co and Dr Pepper Snapple Group Inc each gained 0.1 percentage point of market share, while PepsiCo Inc's share slipped by 0.4 percentage points.

(Reporting By Martinne Geller in New York. Editing by Andre Grenon)