Coca-Cola to reduce sugar in beverages in Australia

Plans have been announced by Coca-Cola to reduce sugar content by 20% in its non-alcoholic portfolio in Australia.

Coca-Cola South Pacific and Coca-Cola Amatil aim to carry out these plans by 2025.

The initiative is part of an industry-wide pledge announced by the Australian Beverages Council (ABCL) in Canberra, which has set a target for its members to support healthier lifestyles for Australians.

Coca-Cola South Pacific president Vamsi Mohan said: “We have been part of the Australian community for 80 years and, as people’s tastes and preferences have changed, so have we.  We will increase the pace of change to offer more great tasting drinks in line with what people want today.

“We have reduced sugar in 22 of our drinks since 2015, including some of our leading brands such as Fanta, Sprite and Powerade.

“This builds on our strong track record of new recipes with reduced sugar content such as Coca-Cola No Sugar, as well as smaller pack sizes, clear labelling and information, and our strict policy of not marketing to children.”

The commitments announced were based on annual sales data as of 1 January 2016, and will be achieved through average sugar reductions per 100ml across the industry to align with Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) labelling requirements.

Initially, the companies aim to achieve a goal of 10% by the end of 2020 and an additional 10% by 2025.

The new initiative will cover a wide range of beverage types represented by ABCL, which include non-alcoholic carbonated soft drinks, energy drinks, frozen drinks, bottled and packaged waters, juice, fruit drinks and cordials, as well as iced teas, ready-to-drink (RTD) coffees and flavoured milk products.

Coca-Cola Amatil Group managing director Alison Watkins said: “This pledge is good news for consumers and further demonstrates our commitment to healthier lifestyles.”