Australian drinks industry leads in providing consumers with healthy choices
Australian drinks Industry leads in providing consumers with healthy choices
Australian producers of non-alcoholic drinks are leading the rest of the shopping trolley in giving
consumers better choices to reduce consumption of sugar.
Recent peer-reviewed research in the journal Nutrients shows a long-term, 20+ year shift in
Australians’ non-alcoholic drink choices away from regular sugar drinks, with each Australian over
that 20-year period drinking an astonishing 30 per cent less sugar, the equivalent of 32 teaspoons or
127 grams of less sugar per person, per year. In fact, since 2015 sales of low/no sugar drinks have
exceeded those of regular sugar drinks.
Australians have achieved this outstanding result through consuming significantly more no-sugar
drinks, such as plain, sparkling and functional waters, and sugar-free drinks. That’s the equivalent of
many Olympic pools filled with plain water and low/no sugar drinks given 60 per cent of non-alcoholic drinks consumed by Australians are these varieties.
The significant shift away from sugar sweetened drinks in favour of low/no sugar varieties, including
an exponential rise in the consumption of bottled water has been fuelled by an impressive portfolio
renovation in the drinks industry that has been well underway for decades and includes
reformulation, smaller pack sizes, more diversity in vending and workplace settings, and full support
for canteen guidelines and the Health Star Rating Scheme.
Bringing speed and scale to this portfolio renovation agenda is the industry’s flagship Sugar
Reduction pledge, launched in June 2018. It is a commitment by the nation’s largest drink companies
to reduce sugar across their portfolio by 20 per cent by 2025, a goal the industry is already well on
the way to exceeding. This is the first time an industry in Australia has united to reduce sugar and
shows the drinks industry is stepping up to play its part and is ahead of the rest of the items in the
shopping trolley in being responsive and responsible. The drinks industry encourages other sectors
of the food supply to also step up and launch their own pledges and play their part in addressing a
complex, multi-factorial problem like obesity and diabetes.
These positive steps by the drinks industry and the encouraging public health trends including the
latest data on drink sales are seismic shifts in sales and consumer purchasing patterns over two
decades. These important changes have happened at the same time that obesity and diabetes rates
have risen significantly in both adults and children, underscoring the complexity of the problem and
the importance of a multi-sectoral solutions approach.
MEDIA ENQUIRIES: Cathy Cook, Head of Corporate Affairs, 0406 399211,