Sugar tax already sees 'striking' sugar reduction in soft drinks

New research carried out by the Oxford University shows that Britain’s two biggest soft drink companies, Coca-Cola and Britvic, have reduced the average amount of sugar in their drinks by 17% and 26% since the tax. According to the research the drink manufacturers have cut the amount of sugar in their products since the introduction of the 18p and 24p a litre levy which was introduced in April 2018. The research, which was published in BMC Medicine, claims there has been a 29% reduction in the total amount of sugar sold in soft drinks in the UK between 2015 and 2018 and 73% of the sugar reduction was due to reformulation of existing products or the introduction of new, lower sugar drinks, while 27% was due to changes in consumer purchasing behaviour. The companies reduced the average amount of sugar in their drinks by 17% and 26% respectively, but the sugar content of their flagship products, namely Coca-Cola and Pepsi, has remained the same. A previous study by the World Health Organisation in 2019 found that consuming just two diet drinks a day increases your risk of early death by over a quarter.