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Soft Drink Categories

A range of soft drinks

Consumers are always looking for new tastes and formats for soft drinks therefore innovation is the key to success.

For this reason, the soft drinks sector is one of the most fast-moving and dynamic industries in the food and drink manufacturing business.

The main categories of soft drink products are carbonates, fruit juices, dilutables, still and juice drinks and bottled waters (see Table 1):

Table 1- Types of soft drinks by market share

Drink type	Market share
Carbonated drinks	42%
Dilutable drinks	23%
Bottled waters	16%
Fruit juices	10%
Still & juice drinks	9%

(Source: Zenith International)

Health issues and changing lifestyles have influenced shifts in UK consumption, most significantly a shift from regular variants to low calorie and no added sugar variants (see Table 2).

Table 2 - Low calorie and no added sugar drinks vs regular

Drink Variant	Market share
Low calorie & no added sugar	61%
Regular	39%

 (Source: Zenith International)

Fortified drinks can provide extra vitamins and minerals to the consumers that choose them. Functional drinks such as sports and energy drinks can offer additional benefits too.