Consumers are always looking for new tastes and formats for soft drinks, and therefore, innovation is the key to success. For this reason, the soft drinks sector plays host to some of the most innovative and dynamic industries in food and drink manufacturing.
The main categories of soft drink products are carbonates, fruit juices, dilutables, still & juice drinks, bottled waters and sports & energy drinks.
Health issues and changing lifestyles have influenced shifts in UK consumption, most significantly a shift from regular to no-, low- and mid-calorie variants.
Kantar Worldpanel data shows that take-home sugar from soft drinks fell by 43.5% between March 2014 and March 2020, once volume growth has been accounted for.
Industry Terms
Low- & no-calorie: 0-20 kcal per 100ml*
Mid-calorie: 21-30 kcal per 100ml
Regular: 31 and above kcal per 100ml
*Nutrition Claims Annex of Regulation (EC) 1924/2066