Juice market squeezed – but for how long?

According to new Mintel research, the UK fruit juice market is suffering from consumer concern over sugar.

The company reports that one in nine (11 per cent) UK adults are buying less fruit juice or smoothies compared to six months before, with 34 per cent of those buying less/not buying doing so because of concern over sugar. This is in comparison to the 24 per cent who report buying less/not buying in order to save money.

However, in the soft drinks levy announced earlier this year by the UK government, pure fruit juices were announced as exempt from the tax – something Canadean believes could reignite interest in the category.

Canadean analyst Fiona Baillie says, “With pure fruit juices exempt from the tax, the declining trend juices have seen due to sugar concerns may see a turnaround, with consumers migrating back to these drinks due to better pricing and a change in consumer perception about natural fructose.”

In addition, earlier this year Public Health England launched its new Eatwell Guide, which confirms that a 150ml serving of fruit juice counts as one of the five portions of fruit and vegetables that we are recommended to consume per day.

The fruit juice sector seems to have a lot going for it at the moment – could we start to see its return to growth soon?

Related content

Leave a reply

Food and Drink Technology