I'd say that grabbing an unopened one on the way out the door is in the grey area, but more than that definitely goes past the line. And frankly, if people were grabbing an unopened soda (that probably costs the company 25 - 75 cents) on the way out, nobody would notice or care. If the company is 'cracking down' on these single-soda offences, then it's probably just as good an indicator of things going downhill as the removal of the 'free soda' perk altogether.
I'm not sure why "carrying one out" is the line here. Surely it's better to have an employee carry out one soda a day, than to have the same employee drink six sodas every day at the office?
Personally I stick to water because HFCS is bad for you.
The strategy somewhere (google?) where they charge or otherwise disincent consumption of unhealthy food and encourage healthy food is kind of interesting.
My beverage of choice is Ito-En bottled green tea. I'd prefer if it came in glass vs. plastic bottles, though, and it is $1/bottle even at Costco, so at home or office I tend to just make my own using either matcha teabags (also from costco) or looseleaf green tea.
Going back to the topic of expense to the company - healthier foods are also generally more expensive than junk food. But if you think it's worthwhile to keep employees at optimal performance, it's a small price to pay...
