Initiatives, Advocacy & Information
The Australian Beverages Council has been the leading peak body representing the non-alcoholic beverages industry…
Read MoreAustralia’s leading non-alcoholic beverage companies have continued to reduced sugar across their beverage portfolios by 18% between 2015 and 2022.
The latest Report, the first to measure progress towards the new target of 25 per cent, provides more detail of the industry’s long-term commitment to provide more drink choices and support Australians to reduce their sugar consumption. The Report indicates that while total sales volumes increased by 3.5 per cent in the period 2021-2022, the grams of sugar per 100ml in Pledgees’ beverage portfolios fell to 4.94g, well below the required 5.10g required to meet the 25 per cent stretch target. To date, Pledgees have undertaken a range of initiatives to achieve this sugar reduction including the reformulation of existing products; the introduction of new low and no sugar varieties; providing smaller pack sizes and encouraging consumers towards low and no sugar options through greater investment in marketing and advertising. Over the last 12 months this has delivered a 3.7 per cent increase in the low and no sugar variety sales.
The drinks industry recognises it has a role to play in addressing the complex issue of overweight and obesity, but we also know we can’t do it on our own. We will continue to encourage other sectors and industries to unite and launch their own commitments to reduce sugar, saturated fat or salt.
Learn More: ABCL Sugar Reduction Pledge report CY2022
Today the Australian Beverages Council and the nation’s four largest drink companies announced a landmark commitment to accelerate sugar reduction as part of Australia’s first and only self-regulation of sugar in products. In 2018, Coca-Cola Europacific Partners, Asahi Lifestyle Beverages, Coca-Cola South Pacific, and Pepsi Co Australia and New Zealand, committed to reducing sugar across their non-alcohol beverage portfolios by 20% from 2015-2025.
Those companies have today upgraded their target to a 25% reduction in sugar across their non-alcohol beverage portfolios from 2015-2025. The new commitment follows a 2021 progress report that showed an impressive 16% of sugar had already been removed since 2015. The upgraded target is also the right thing to do for Australian consumers who are wanting less sugar but more choice in their drink options and Australian beverage companies are responding.
Learn More: 25 by 25 Australian Beverages Sugar Reduction Pledge Commitment
Australia’s leading non-alcoholic beverage companies have reduced sugar across their beverage portfolios by more than 16% between 2015 and 2021, placing them well on track to achieve the 20% sugar reduction target by 2025.
The KPMG-authored report found that for the first time in Australia, low- and no-sugar options now account for half of all their beverage sales, up from 47% the previous year. This reinforces consumption trends uncovered in previously published research on more than two decades of drink consumption in Australia; research which revealed a long-term shift in Australians’ non-alcoholic beverage choices over the period.
Sugar Reduction Pledge – Progress Report to 31 December 2021
Australia’s largest beverage companies have marked a major milestone by announcing a 12 per cent reduction in sugar in the third progress report on the beverage industry’s flagship sugar reduction pledge. External analysis by KPMG showed that the industry is advancing well ahead of the target required to meet the 20 per cent reduction in sugar by 2025.
Sugar Reduction Pledge – Progress Report to 31 December 2020
The second major progress report on the Pledge shows that the industry is making significant progress towards its 2025 target, largely as a result of innovation that has led to the introduction of more low- and no-sugar drinks and reformulation of existing products.
For the period 1 January 2020 – 30 June 2020, the sugar reduction progress has been influenced by COVID-19, as consumers lifestyles shifted, so did their beverage consumption.
For the full report, please click on the link below.
Sugar Reduction Pledge – Second Progress Report January 1-June 30 2020
On 25 November 2019, the Australian Beverages Council announced the first progress report on the Pledge.
The seven per cent reduction in sugar achieved in the years 2015-2018 was calculated as follows:
Aggregated weighted average grams of sugar per 100mL of non-alcoholic beverage has been calculated for 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018 by applying a weighting to corresponding volume for the product in 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018, respectively. A comparison of the results from 2015 with 2018 provides the aggregate reductions period on period and in aggregate over the four years.
Data has been consistently collected and collated across the reportable years for all products/recipes.
For the full report, please click on the link below.
Sugar Reduction Pledge – First Progress Report 2019
In June 2018, the Australian Beverages Council announced a pledge that would see the non-alcoholic beverages industry commit to a 20 per cent reduction in sugar across the industry’s portfolio by 2025.
There are two tiers to the Sugar Reduction Pledge – Signatories and Supporters
Click here to view the Sugar Reduction Pledge: Signatories page
Click here to view the Sugar Reduction Pledge: Supporters page
The commitment applies to all categories of non-alcoholic beverages represented by members of the Australian Beverages Council that are signatories to the Pledge, including: carbonated soft drinks, energy drinks, sports and electrolyte drinks, frozen drinks, bottled and packaged waters, juice and fruit drinks, cordials, iced teas, ready-to-drink coffees, flavoured milk products and flavoured plant milks.
Some of the instruments Signatory Members party to the Pledge may contribute to the reductions targets could include:
KPMG was appointed as the independent aggregator to measure the progress towards the Pledge being achieved.
Additional materials:
Sugar Reduction Pledge Infographic
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