Java running neck-and-neck with soft drinks in US--report

NEW YORK (Reuters) - More Americans are drinking a cup of coffee every day, putting Java virtually neck-and-neck with such soft drinks as cola, according to an industry report released on Saturday.

Preliminary data from the National Coffee Association of USA's "2006 National Coffee Drinking Trends" showed the percent of U.S. consumers who drink coffee each day rose to 56 percent in 2006 from 53 percent in 2005 and 49 percent in 2004.

"With increases in coffee consumption from 53 percent to 56 percent, accompanied by a decline in soft-drink consumption over the last year to 57 percent, daily coffee drinkers are now statistically equal to daily soft-drink consumers," NCA said in a statement.

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