As consumers seek permissible indulgence amid the cost-of-living crisis in South Africa, soft drinks with various health and wellness claims continue to perform well in the local market. These beverages provide consumers with accessible and affordable treats while also providing specific benefits to support wellbeing, with offerings targeting hydration, focus, weight management, energy and immune support, among others. Energy boosting was the largest health and wellness claim for soft drinks in

Consumers are increasingly looking for health benefits from the foods and drinks that they consume. Meanwhile, people in China are leading busier lives, and there is thus high consumer demand for energy boosting soft drinks. A significant proportion of the consumer base works or studies for long hours, and favours energy boosting soft drinks to remain focused, overcome fatigue, and keep refreshed. Another major consumer group is gamers, with gamers and e-sports communities having adopted energy

New Zealand’s obesity epidemic remained in the spotlight towards the end of the review period as the government took steps to educate the local population about the serious long-term health dangers of being overweight or obese and the fact that a diet high in sugar is one of the major factors that contributes to obesity. According to Euromonitor International’s Economies and Consumers data, 36% of the over 18-year-old population of New Zealand was overweight (BMI 25-30kg/sq m) in 2023, whilst 36

The tax placed on sweetened soft drinks on 1 January 2022 was met with strong disapproval from Israel’s ultra-Orthodox community. This community saw the tax on sweetened drinks, along with another tax imposed on plasticware, to be weighted against lower socioeconomic groups, like themselves, who tend to consume a lot of soft drinks and use large amounts of plastic. Political representatives of the ultra-Orthodox community stated that they would get the tax removed when they managed to get back i

2023 was an interesting year for the health and wellness soft drinks in Norway as demand patterns continued to be shaped by two countervailing trends. The first of these was the ongoing positive impact on sales from the removal of the soft drinks tax on 1 July 2021. The withdrawal of the soft drinks tax was instrumental in keeping unit prices stable in 2023, which had a positive impact on demand across all categories of health and wellness soft drinks at a time of high inflation and pressure on

Although the World Health Organisation declared the COVID-19 pandemic to be over in early 2023, consumers in Hong Kong have retained a heightened sense of awareness around the impact of their diet on their health. During the pandemic, consumers were overweight or obese were found to be at greater risk of more severe symptoms from COVID-19. This has encouraged many people to re-evaluate their dietary choices. For instance, Euromonitor International’s Voice of the Consumer survey from January-Febr

Consumers in Chile continued to show strong interest in health and wellness soft drinks with no sugar, no added sugar and low sugar claims in 2023. Robust demand for such products in multiple categories was underpinned by rising awareness that individuals who are overweight or obese have an increased risk of developing serious and chronic illnesses like heart disease, type 2 diabetes, hypertension and certain forms of cancer. Recognition of the dangers of carrying excess weight has grown in rece

The United Arab Emirates has been following a policy of economic diversification, and has continued to build the country as a tourism, retail, and lifestyle destination, which contributed to the growth of health and wellness soft drinks in 2023. The local population has also expanded substantially, and has become increasingly multicultural. Therefore, producers of soft drinks have maintained their focus on innovation and functionality, with various new product developments emerging during the ye

South Korean consumers have become more conscious of the overprocessed nature of many of the soft drinks available in the market, and the need for healthy hydration. This led to growth for natural soft drinks from an already significant base in 2023, with a 7% increase to reach KRW1,509.7 billion. Despite its already high sales, solid current value growth was seen for natural bottled water in 2023, reaching KRW1,419.5 billion. The natural claim in bottled water is most often accompanied by good

Health claims within soft drinks in Germany that were a good source of antioxidants, minerals or vitamins witnessed significant growth in 2023. This growth was driven by increasing consumer awareness and interest in nutrition and wellness, as Germans sought to enhance their overall health through their beverage choices. Soft drinks players have responded to this demand by highlighting the nutritional content of their products and incorporating these health claims into their marketing strategies.

In 2023, the rising health trend in Mexico led consumers to increasingly look at labels, specifically interested in fat, salt and sugar levels. This practice was bolstered by the introduction of labelling regulations on packaged food and drinks, which promote greater transparency surrounding nutritional content. Regulation NOM-173 came into action in January 2023. It stated that nectars require a minimum of 25% juice content, puree and/or pulp to be labelled as nectars, while fruit-flavoured car

As India has developed, and as its population has transitioned from rural to urban areas, there has been a corresponding shift in dietary habits, with an increased dependence on packaged food and drinks. This has resulted in significant health issues, with the increasing prevalence of chronic diseases such as obesity, diabetes, and heart disease. For instance, according to Euromonitor International, 10% of the 20-79-year-old population had diabetes in India in 2023, with the prevalence of childh

More consumers in Japan are turning towards soft drinks that offer fortification or functionality, as these are increasingly seen as options that can help to improve their diet. Consumers want to improve any health issues that they are concerned about, or prevent health problems in the first place, and are therefore paying attention to specific health benefits in soft drinks in order to achieve this. In recent years, a growing number of new products have claimed to have more than one health bene

There has been a general increase in awareness of health and wellness among Taiwanese consumers since the COVID-19 crisis, which is having a direct impact on consumers’ decision-making when they are purchasing soft drinks. Local consumer demand for natural ingredients with no or low sugar content and few or no calories is driving the growth of products such as no sugar ready-to-drink (RTD) tea, zero calorie carbonates, juice and functional water. For example, Swire Coca Cola launched its no suga

Health and wellness continued to be a growing trend in soft drinks in 2023, with consumers reaching for options with reduced salt, fat and sugar while appreciating fortified options that made it easy and convenient to increase their nutritional intake. The COVID-19 pandemic bolstered this health trend and has continued to shape product innovations and purchasing habits in 2023. Functional benefits have emerged in various products, including smaller categories like sports drinks and RTD coffee. C

On 30 December 2022, the Singapore government imposed colour-coded mandatory nutritional labelling for packaged beverages. The Nutri-Grade scheme dictates that Nutri-Grade beverages considered Grade C or D (indicating higher than 5g of sugar and/or greater than 1.2g of saturated fat per 100ml of product) must be labelled to alert consumers. Within soft drinks, categories which typically have a high sugar content, such as energy drinks, carbonates, and Asian speciality drinks, fall under the mand

With rising health awareness in the country, the number of US consumers monitoring their sugar intake and shopping for no sugar and no added sugar soft drinks continues to rise. Consumers are increasingly aware of the dangers of the overconsumption of sugar, and many are trying to cut back where possible. In addition, with the high rates of overweight and obesity in the US compared with the global average, more consumers are trying to maintain their pleasures, while also trying to lose weight, h

Health and wellness is increasingly shaping purchasing decisions in Poland, with consumers keen to maintain good health while preventing future health conditions. Consequently, consumers are looking to reduce sugar, salt, and fat while increasing their intake of vitamins, minerals, protein, and probiotics. Media stories and rising awareness surrounding the potential health dangers of artificial ingredients and ultra-processed foods and drinks have also driven growth in the natural claim. As a re

The consumer base in Turkey increased in 2023, as the country saw substantial immigration and a strong influx of inbound tourists. Despite inflationary pressures and higher prices, the consumption of soft drinks increased, and the focus on health and wellness remained stable. For instance, there was increased demand for bottled water with certain fortified/functional claims, such as good source of minerals and good source of vitamins, as well as other healthier soft drinks with low/no/no added s

Boosted by the outbreak of COVID-19, consumers in Sweden have become more nutritionally aware, choosing food and drink with wellness claims to support their every day and long-term health prospects. Ongoing media and professional discussion surrounding the link between high sugar, salt and fat and the risk of high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity, and strokes has further driven opportunities for health and wellness claims in soft drinks. The claim that generated the largest retail value sa

Sugar has become a primary concern for health conscious consumers, the Thai Government and public health institutions in recent years. Globally, there has been an increasing amount of publicity around the role of sugar intake in the development of a broad range of health problems ranging across type 2 diabetes, hypertension and even cancer, but it is the part that sugar has played in the marked rise in levels of obesity, especially amongst children, that has really energised public debate about

Local consumers are increasingly prioritising perceived healthier soft drinks, not only due to greater concerns over their health or to a more expanded knowledge of their own needs, but also because of the more expensive retail prices of soft drinks with higher sugar content. This is because a sugar tax was introduced in 2018 in the UK (Soft Drinks Industry Levy). The levy is paid to HMRC by the packager for drinks produced in the UK, or importer for drinks produced overseas, at the following le

2023 saw health and wellness soft drinks outperform the overall soft drinks industry in Switzerland. Consumer awareness of the health benefits of consuming soft drinks with health and wellness claims continued to increase which encouraged more people to make the switch. Most of the key health and wellness claims recorded positive retail volume growth within soft drinks over the course of the year as consumers focused on following healthier diets and looked for improved nutrition. Although the in

No sugar remained the leading health and wellness claim in soft drinks in Finland in value terms by a wide margin in 2023. Demand for products with this positioning increased at a robust pace in most categories, as in line with rising health-consciousness Finns are becoming more aware that being overweight or obese can put them at greater risk of developing serious illnesses like heart disease, type 2 diabetes, hypertension and certain types of cancer. In particular, such concerns continued to m