US soda lessons for Europe

Two recent US consumer surveys, summarised in the latest Beverage Digest newsletter, could hold clues to future trends for the European industry.

The first, by Bernstein Research and conducted in November 2013, sought to understand why diet carbonates sales are falling faster than regular carbonates. The main reason, cited by 32%, was that ‘other drinks taste better’ and the next, raised by 26%, was ‘non-natural ingredients’. Non-natural ingredients were the principal concern for those aged 25-34.

The second, for Morgan Stanley, compared views in 2010 and 2013. Among concerns about soda, artificial additives ranked highest at 27% and high fructose corn syrup followed closely behind at 26%. 36% said they would prefer ‘natural zero calorie sweeteners’, up substantially from 23% in 2010.

No wonder companies are working so hard to find solutions for this conundrum.