Good news on sugar in soft drinks

UKVending is pleased to hear that the levels of sugar in soft drinks has been plummeting and the reason is that drinks companies have decided to take action before being forced to by government legislation.

The new sugar tax on soft drinks has meant that drinks manufacturers would have faced stiff new taxes on highly sugared soft drinks which are being introduced in an effort to combat obesity and diabetes. The new tax comes into force on 6 April.

The latest research conducted by the trade magazine Grocer indicates that manufacturers and retailers have together managed to reduce the sugar content of many leading brands by up to 15 percent. Whilst a significant reduction many campaigners want this figure to be reduce yet further. A number of campaigns most notably by drinkers of Iron Brew in Scotland have campaigned to keep the recipe exactly the same as they fear it will change the distinctive flavour of their favourite drinks.

In time, say the manufacturers and retailers, the new sugar levels in drinks will become the norm, or may even drop even lower than at present.