Sugary drink consumption 'still way too high' despite long-term decline

Australians are drinking significantly less sugar, trading soft drink and juice for water, milk and kombucha, a new study suggests.

The peer-reviewed research published in Nutrients shows a long-term decline in the sales of sugar-sweetened beverages by volume.

Between 1997 and 2018, the volume of sugary drinks sold fell 27 per cent on a per capita basis. The average person is now consuming 6.4kg of added sugar in drinks a year, compared with 9kg in the late 1990s.

Prominent nutritionist Rosemary Stanton said consumption of sugary drinks was "still way too high".Credit: Lewis Whyld / PA

Meanwhile, volume sales of non-sugary drinks almost doubled, mainly because of the rise in bottled water. Non-sugary drinks have outsold sugary drinks since 2015.

The study had funding from the Beverages Council of Australia but matches research from other independent sources. For example, business research firm IBIS World's January 2020 report states that carbonated soft drink sales fell from 104.5 litres in 1994 to 76.1 litres this year, with the decline forecast to continue over the next five years.

The study published in Nutrients found growth in sugar-sweetened energy drinks, sports drinks and iced tea since the late 1990s, but not enough to offset the decline in fizzy soft drink.

Consumers have also grown wise to the naturally occurring sugar in juice. The research found sales of 100 per cent juice have dropped by 48 per cent since 2009.

Sales of flavoured milk grew 6 per cent a year since 2009, but off a much smaller base than juice.

The report said the trend was driven by health concerns, with consumers not only following dietary advice to reduce sugar to manage weight but also embracing the general concept of "wellness" including a preference for natural ingredients.

The decline in sugary drinks was only partially offset by artificially sweetened alternatives, while the new category of kombucha was showing "increasing sales". Kombucha is usually low in sugar - though not always - and has purported benefits for gut health because it is fermented.

However, prominent nutritionist Rosemary Stanton said consumption of sugary drinks was "still way too high".

"When we look at sugary drinks compared with other sources of sugar, they have a unique problem in that the body doesn't seem to recognise any degree of satiety," Dr Stanton said.

"So you don't feel full if you've had calories from a sugary drink, whereas if you've eaten those same calories in a biscuit or a cake, you would actually have some degree of stomach satisfaction."

Dr Stanton said the decline in total sales of sugary drinks was not evenly spread throughout the population. Some groups such as women had largely quit and switched to diet drinks and water, while teenage boys and young men were consuming as much as ever.

This was a problem because males aged 15 to 30 were also experiencing a rapid increase in obesity because they were less active.

She was also worried about people baking at home during coronavirus isolation. "I was a bit concerned when you walk into a shop, there's no white flour, or sugar, or packet cake mix because they've all been bought by all these people cooking," Dr Stanton said.

"It's terrific people are cooking, but we do need to be careful that we don't just cook the sweet things."

Dr Stanton said it was a good time to consider a sugar tax. "I don't see why not," she said. "Price plus education is much more effective than either on its own."