THE RISE OF HEALTHIER OPTIONS

LOW- and no-calorie flavours have been in growth for some time across soft drinks, but they are now almost on a par with full-sugar versions. “We’ve been seeing a long-term trend towards drinks with lower sugar, as consumers become aware of their health and wellbeing,” says Matt Gouldsmith, channel director, wholesale, at

Suntory Beverage & Food GB&I (SBF GB&I). “The low- or nocalorie segment continues to perform brilliantly, accounting for almost 48.3% of total soft drink sales. Lucozade Zero, for example, is seeing recent growth of over 58.5%.”

According to Amy Burgess, senior trade communications manager at Coca-Cola

Europacific Partners (CCEP), Monster Energy’s zerosugar Ultra range is not only the number-one zero-sugar energy brand in the UK, it is the fastest-growing Monster range, up 29% annually.

Ben Mckechnie, managing director at wholesaler Epicurium, says the advent of “natural energy” drinks is