Soft drinks industry value rises 3.3% to £15bn
The report – ‘Refreshing the nation’ – also recorded overall volumes falling by 2.5% to 14.2bn litres or 227 litres per person.
Mixed results were also reported by different sectors of the soft drinks market. Bottled water and energy drinks volumes were up, while carbonates, dilutables and fruit juice volumes were down from last year.
Soft drinks containing added sugar made up 39% of the market, while ‘no added sugar’ drinks represent 61%. The report also showed that soft drinks are now consumed in more than 99% of households.
‘Exploding the myth’
The report claimed that overweight and obese consumers were less likely to consume soft drinks, “exploding the myth that soft drinks consumption is the cause of obesity”.
It also claimed that, when they do choose a soft drink, overweight and obese consumers were more likely than average to choose a ‘no added sugar’ drink rather than a drink containing added sugar.
Gavin Partington, BSDA director general, said: “It’s been a tough year for the economy, but the soft drinks industry has come through it well. Keeping in touch with people’s tastes is central to the industry’s success, as the prominent role of drinks without added sugar shows.”
Soft drinks industry ̶ at a glance
- Overall volume down 2.5% to 14.2bn litres, or 227 litres per person
- Retail value up 3.3% to £14.955bn
- Bottled water volume up 3.3% to 2,135M litres, average 34 litres per person
- Carbonates volume down 2.4% to 6,440M litres, average 103 litres per person
- Dilutables volume down 3.7% to 3,175M litres, average 51 litres per person
- Fruit juice volume down 4.9% to 1,105M litres, average 18 litres per person
- Still and juice drinks volume down 6.0% to 1380M litres, average 22 litres per person
- Sports drinks volume down 6.4% to 155M litres, average 2.5 litres per person
- Energy drinks volume up 9.7% to 475M litres, average 7.6 litres per person
- Added sugar drinks 39% of the market
- No added sugar drinks 61% of the market
