Sweet drinks are falling out of favour among health-conscious Singaporeans, forcing beverage firms to reformulate old favourites to try and retain their appeal. These range from low-sugar variations to zero-sugar editions sweetened entirely by artificial sweeteners.
Industry experts say soft drink sales have slumped, especially since the Health Ministry declared war on diabetes in 2016.
“We do not expect soft drink sales to pick up,” said Mr Nathanael Lim, a research analyst at Euromonitor International. Mr Lim said that in response, soft drink makers were moving to mitigate the sales decline by offering healthier options.
Sweet drinks have come under the spotlight in recent years as the Government strives to tackle the growing problem of diabetes. Next month, a more stringent policy kicks in to ensure that only healthier drinks are sold on government premises such as schools, parks and sports facilities.
Mr Tony Del Rosario, general manager of Coca-Cola Singapore, Malaysia, Brunei, Cambodia, Myanmar and Vietnam, said: “Eating and drinking less sugar is an increasingly important issue for many people in Singapore.
“That’s why we are rethinking many of our recipes to reduce sugar, and are innovating to launch new lower-or no-sugar drinks,” he added.
Whether this is enough to convince consumers remains to be seen.
Dr Lau Kong Cheen, senior lecturer from the Singapore University of Social Sciences’ business school, said: “I think that society in general has been conditioned (to believe) that soft drinks are associated with unhealthy beverages and diabetes.
“Therefore, despite the efforts by beverage companies to offer less-sweet options and acquiring the Healthier Choice Symbol, it will be rather difficult to reverse the mindset.”
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Source: The Straits Times, 10 April 2018