Statement Attributed to Geoff Parker re. NNPAS 2023 Results

Date: 5 September 2025

Statement attributable to Geoff Parker, CEO of the Australian Beverages Council Limited (ABCL)

The Australian Beverages Council Limited (ABCL), representing the nation’s dynamic non-alcoholic drinks industry, welcomes the ABS’ release of Sweetened Beverages consumption data as part of the National Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey 2023, which shows a significant decline in Australians’ consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages and encouraging long-term shifts in their beverage choices towards low- and no-sugar varieties, including bottled water.  

The results show that less than three in ten Australians (28.9 per cent) reported consuming a sweetened beverage* on the day of the survey, down significantly from the previous survey in 2011-12 (42.2 per cent) and in the 1995 survey (49.2 per cent).  Among children aged 2-17, the decrease has been even more significant, falling from nearly three in four consuming a sweetened beverage in 1995 to just one in four in 2023.  

Within this trend, consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages has declined from 43.2 per cent of the population in 1995, to 34 per cent in 2011-12, and now sits at just 20.9 per cent in 2023. These results highlight a long-term, fundamental shift away from sugar-sweetened beverages and in favour of low- and no-sugar varieties, including bottled water. 

For over two decades, the drinks industry has been actively supporting this transition through innovation and new formulations, responding to consumer demand for low- and no-sugar options. A 22-year beverage trends study further highlights these shifts in consumer preferences with results from that analysis revealing bottled water sales have outstripped sales of sugar-sweetened carbonated soft drinks since 2015.   

Today, Australians enjoy more beverage choices with less sugar than ever before. These results confirm that demand for low- and no-sugar options continues to grow, driven by the combined impact of shifting consumer preferences, industry leadership and sustained investment in portfolio renovations – including new recipes, reformulation, smaller pack sizes and clear labelling through initiatives like the Health Star Rating scheme. 

The Australian drinks industry remains committed to working with government, public health stakeholders and the community to ensure Australians have the choice, information and innovation needed to support their drink choices. 

*Note 

For this analysis, sweetened beverages have been categorised by type of sweetener: 

• sugar-sweetened beverages, which contain added sugar (typically sucrose) 

• intense-sweetened beverages, which contain artificial sweeteners.  

The types of beverages in this analysis include: 

• cordials 

• soft drinks and flavoured mineral waters (including kombucha and commercial iced teas) 

• electrolyte and energy drinks, and fortified waters (including flavoured packaged water) 

• fruit and vegetable drinks (including aloe vera juice). 

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