Are Coca-Cola and Pepsi serious about lowering sugar levels?

Sugary drinks consumers are more and more concerned about the harmful effects of this type of product on their health, and these worries are starting to seriously weigh on this market. The American Beverage Association (ABA), grouping numerous companies involved in the sector in the USA, has announced the implementation of measures aiming to reduce the number of calories ingested by consumers through drinks.

Amongst the ABA members, we find sector giants such as The Coca-Cola Company, PepsiCo, Snapple (Dr. Pepper) and Red Bull. All have just committed themselves, along with the Alliance for Healthier Generation (AHG) and the Clinton Foundation, in a policy to reduce obesity in the USA, by offering customers "more choices, smaller portions and fewer calories", as states the ABA in a press release.

For this, the Mixify website - with the aim of informing consumers and providing solid information on their diet - has just been launched. Similar to the communication campaign "Manger, bouger" (Eat, Move) in France, this operation should be deployed throughout the USA. Over the long term, the organisation states that it wants to achieve "a 20 percent per person reduction of calories consumed from beverages [..] within ten years". In addition, adverts should turn to water and fruit juice instead of soda and energy drinks.

An agreement to reduce the sugar level signed in France

Last Thursday, the French agriculture and agro-food minister, Stéphane Le Foll, met with the National Union for Soft Drinks (SNBR), representing groups such as Coca-Cola, PepsiCo France, Nestlé Waters, Danone, Refresco and Orangina Schweppes. According to a ministry document, the SNBR "represents 5 companies, representing more than 80% of the soft drinks market". During this meeting, an agreement was signed aiming to reduce the impact of sugary drinks on obesity in France.

It commits theses companies to "a 5% reduction in the average level of sugar in all soft drinks between 2010 and 2015 using different methods". The government's proposals include a reduction in sugar "without replacement by artificial sweeteners", and the sale of lower-sugar drinks. A windfall for Coca-Cola and Pepsi who have just launched versions of their star drinks sweetened with Stevia (Pepsi True and Coca-Cola Life). During an interview with the French Challenges magazine, the economist, Frédéric Bizard, mitigated this progression in the public health sector.

"I would be astonished if Coca-Cola accepted to change the recipe of its famous soda just for the French market. However, it is true that the multiplication of products containing aspartame and stevia will allow manufacturers to indicate a lower level of sugar for all their production".

Rules on advertising and the use of water

In the USA, some brands have already signed the Children Food and Beverage Advertising Initiative, regulating advertising destined for children. As part of this, they are committed to only diffusing adverts for water, fruit juice or milk-based drinks during peak viewing hours by children under 12. With the agreement signed in France, SNBR companies should "no longer advertise soft drinks on television or internet in programmes where the audience is made up of more than 35% of children under 12".

The companies have also agreed to reduce their ecological impact in France with a reduction in the number of litres of water required to produce these drinks "by at least 15%", with expected savings of 600 million litres of water each year. However, no sanctions or other measures are planned to ensure the real implementation of these commitments by drink producers.