Skip to main content

Soft drink industry making progress in reducing calories

| Supplier news

Calories across the soft drinks category are down by 7.3% over the last 3 years, according to the latest figures from Kantar Worldpanel.

The data shows that calories and sugars from soft drinks are falling faster than in any other food and drink category, with calories down 7.3% and sugar down 8.3% since April 2012.

The figures coincide with a period of initiatives by producers to reformulate products, provide smaller pack sizes and promote the wide variety of low and no calorie products available to consumers. Soft drinks companies have backed their efforts with a significant increase in advertising spend on promoting low and no calorie products – up by nearly 50% last year alone.

Figures also published in the BSDA’s 2015 UK Soft Drinks Report “Changing Tastes ” underscore the message from the Kantar data on changing patterns of consumer consumption. Almost half of all carbonates sold in the UK are low or no calorie (49%). Sales of bottled water continue to flourish up 9.3% in 2014, and nearly three quarters (74%) of all dilutables sold are low or no calorie.

But despite growth in some categories in 2014 soft drinks consumption was down overall by 0.5%. The BSDA said that this partly reflects the fall in sales of fruit juice (down 9.5%) - an unfortunate by-product of the misguided campaign on sugar – which means some consumers have reduced the role of fruit juice in their 5 a day.

Gavin Partington, BSDA Director General, said: “Efforts by soft drinks producers and major retailers have clearly had an impact on the market with consumer calorie intake from our products down significantly. This shows that voluntary steps by industry are having an impact.”

Pin It

Related Articles

Civil rights organisation Free SA has formally demanded answers from the Minister of Health, Dr. Aaron Motsoaledi, regarding the recently published Regulations Relating to the Prohibition of the Sale, Importation and Manufacture of Foodstuffs Contai…
By: Dhivana Rajgopaul – IOL Business Woolworths shelves are expected to be full by the end of the week at the latest, following shortages that the retailer experienced last week.
By: Dhivana Rajgopaul - IOL After South African comedian Rory Pezter shared a post on X (formerly Twitter) about the alarming shortage of meat on Woolworths' shelves, the retailer promptly acknowledged the issue.
By: Nick Wilson – News24 Retail group Woolworths confirmed on Wednesday (15/01/2025) it is experiencing a shortage of avocados, saying this is due to a shift in harvesting times in KwaZulu-Natal, lower volumes in the Eastern Cape and logistical del…
By:  Marelise van der Merwe – News24 Lucky Star has distanced itself from a consignment of counterfeit canned pilchards seized during a raid last week, owner Oceana said in a statement on Tuesday (19/11/2024).