NON-ALCOHOLIC DRINKS AND INNOVATION

Non-alcoholic drinks recorded worldwide sales of nearly $1,040 billion in 2021. This category includes mineral water, fruit juice, sparkling drinks, lemonades, concentrates, energy drinks, iced tea and herbal infusions and functional drinks.

Here, the dominant product is sparkling drinks, accounting for 65% of the market according to Statista. Dominated by brands such as PepsiCo, Coca-Cola and Dr Pepper Snapple, the soda segment nonetheless suffers sometimes from a negative image in the minds of consumers, due to the presence of ingredients such as sugar, artificial sweeteners, colourings or preservatives.

With the pressure of the sugar tax which has now been levied by many countries, drinks brands are seeking to innovate to find more natural alternatives which also reflect the new tastes of consumers.

While North America and Europe appreciate fizzy drinks, the countries in the Asia-Pacific region -Japan, China and India leading the way - prove to be very keen on energy drinks. Together, they account for 30% of the world market which should amount to $89 billion by 2027.

Water remains the most-consumed non-alcoholic drink in the world. In 2020, more than 450 billion litres of bottled water were drunk around the world

In fact, this is the most dynamic market in the sector, enjoying a much more positive image for consumer health than sodas and juices with their high sugar content. Some countries such as Mexico, Poland, Italy, Turkey and Germany are big consumers of bottled water, with more than 70% of their inhabitants being regular drinkers.

In 2022, this sector combined with hot drinks brought together 593 exhibitors at SIAL Paris, among which 94% came from outside France, evidencing the worldwide reach that this event enjoys in the non-alcoholic drinks world.

The stakeholders in this sector find in SIAL the unique opportunity to showcase their products, launch the new products and discover those of their competitors from all around the world.