From 28 Years of Change: Australians are Choosing Less Sugar in their Drinks

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From 28 Years of Change: Australians are Choosing Less Sugar in their Drinks

Tuesday, 13 October 2026 

As National Nutrition Week puts the spotlight on how Australians eat and drink, the Australian Beverages Council Limited (ABCL) is highlighting 28 years of data that shows a big shift in the drinks Australians choose. 

In 1997, sugar-sweetened beverages made up around 70 per cent of Australia’s non-alcoholic water-based beverage market. Today they account for around 35 per cent. Over the same period, water and low- and no-sugar drinks have grown from around 30 per cent to 65 per cent. 

The industry has also changed what’s in the bottle. Under the Sugar Reduction Pledge, KPMG independently tracked the sales of participating members from 2015 to 2025. It found a 21 per cent reduction in sugar across drinks sold, or 23 per cent when excluding water. That is more than 255,000 tonnes of sugar avoided from diets. 

ABCL CEO Geoff Parker said the figures reflect decades of change by consumers and manufacturers alike. 

“Australians have been changing what they put in their trolleys for almost three decades, and beverage companies have responded by reformulating favourites, offering different pack sizes and putting more low- and no-sugar options on the shelf,” Mr Parker said. 

“This didn’t happen by accident. It’s the result of consistent, measurable effort by the industry, and the data has been independently tracked.” 

Mr Parker said National Nutrition Week was a timely reminder of the value of accurate, accessible information. 

“There’s a lot of noise about what’s in our drinks. DrinkFacts gives Australians, journalists, educators and health professionals one place to find evidence-based information on ingredients, nutrition labelling, packaging and recycling,” he said. 

“We welcome the conversation National Nutrition Week encourages, and we’ll keep working with government, health stakeholders and the community on practical measures that build on the progress already made.”

For media enquiries, please get in touch with lauren@ausbev.org