Although obesity rates in African-American and Hispanic communities of New York City exceed the city average, the New York chapter of the N.A.A.C.P. and the Hispanic Federation is nevertheless supporting a lawsuit filed by the beverage industry that is aiming to block the so-called “Bloomberg ban” on large containers of sugary drinks. The ban would prohibit the on-premise sale of sugar-sweetened drinks that have more than 25 calories per 8 oz. serving in containers larger than 16 oz.

Out with the polar bears, in with the showgirls. On Tuesday, Coca-Cola launched an interactive campaign centered around its Super Bowl ad, which displays cowboys, badlanders (a biker gang), and a bus full of showgirls in the middle of the desert.

Hoping to swarm distributors, the maker of Killer Buzz Energy drinks is actively seeking an acquisition of one or two beverage companies - and could spend upwards of $10 million to do so. “There’s no cap and no floor,” said Jeremy Friedman, director of marketing for Killer Buzz. “It’s more about opportunity than the size of the investment. If an opportunity warranted a $10 million acquisition, that number is not too high.”

Just in time for the Super Bowl, Kraft is adding a sports-centric SKU to its fast-growing MiO line of liquid water enhancers. MiO Fit, which was announced Tuesday in a press release, contains electrolytes, B vitamins and zero calories, and enables consumers to turn water into a sports drink. MiO Fit currently offers two flavors, Berry Blast and Arctic Grape, and is sold in two bottle sizes: 12 or 18 servings per bottle (along with 8 oz. of water per serving).

In an online plea, Oogave co-founder Gannon Merrell said the company needs to raise $500,000 to be able to reach positive cash flow in the next 18-20 months – or else it will have to liquidate.

ZUN founder Brian Stearns is pulling out of the energy and brain boosting business altogether, announcing that the brand is reinventing itself “as an all-natural ‘kid friendly’ beverage.”

NASCAR driver Bobby Grewohl shaved his head and endured his first makeup session today in New York City. It was a bit of a change for the small-town racer. “My head’s shiny,” Grewohl said. “They’ve got to dim it down a little bit.” After a photo shoot, Grewohl, the Hollister, Calif. native, joined representatives of 989 On Demand, a hydrating enhanced beverage with its functional ingredients stored in a mix-to-drink cap, for a guerilla marketing effort in the city streets.

The company issued a statement that called the DAWN report, which included information that energy drink-related emergency room visits had doubled in the U.S. from 10,068 in 2007 to a total of nearly 21,000 in 2011, "highly misleading and does not support any conclusion that energy drinks are unsafe for consumers."

With the consumer in mind, Odwalla has redesigned its packaging for the first time in six years. The healthy beverage and bar maker, owned by the Coca-Cola Co., Inc. says it has tried to remove much of the clutter from its bottles and proceeded with a cleaner look and a color-coded system that matches caps with drink segments.