While carbonated soft drinks have experienced volume dips, healthy drinks are enjoying double-digit growth. 

Attempting to catch up to this wave, manufacturers of all sizes are now rushing to the marketplace with new products. Coca-Cola recently brushed off their venerable Tab brand to introduce new Tab Energy, resplendent in a pink and white checked can.

It is appropriate to ask what is making healthy drinks so very popular? Are they just a health fanatic fad or will they provide a lasting, healthier alternative to the sugared fizzy drinks that have long dominated the drinks industry?  Considering the numerous negative effects of high-sugar, carbonated drinks, it is little wonder that people are increasingly turning to sports drinks or bottled water as their beverage of choice. However, it is less clear why this change has taken so long.

It is only within the last decade that the true extent of the problems soda can cause has been seen through extensive scientific research. Furthermore, dramatic rises in levels of both childhood and adult obesity have compelled parents to purchase healthy alternatives for themselves, as well as for their children. It is also the case that healthy drinks, driven by brand competition within the market, have been made more appealing, with new exotic flavors that were never available before. Most sugar-free soft drinks are not benefiting from movement away from sugared soft drinks because of a lingering consumer discomfort with the alternative sweeteners being used.  Healthy drinks are benefiting because consumers no longer face a straight choice between flavorless water from a tap or soda from a vending machine. The old adage that what tastes good cannot be good for you is simply no longer true.

Healthy Drinks: Healthy drinks come in two dominant forms; hypotonic (as is the case with water) and isotonic (which includes drinks such as XS Sports Drink and the UK’s Lucozade). Hypotonic drinks have a concentration lower than the concentration of normal bodily fluids and therefore water moves into the bloodstream by osmosis, helping to hydrate the drinker. An isotonic fluid is one that has a concentration that is similar to the concentration of normal bodily fluids. Isotonic drinks act to replace electrolytes lost through sweating during high levels of activity. Moreover, isotonic drinks are thought to be retained better than other drinks.

Unhealthy fizzy drinks are often hypertonic with regards to sugar concentrations. This can lead to dehydration. Other than the short-term enjoyment of the drink itself there are very few, if any, benefits from drinking this type of beverage. Indeed, such drinks have been linked to conditions such as diabetes, acid reflux, migraines, obesity... the list seems almost endless. The tremendous volume growth of this category has been driven by the right products meeting a more health-conscious audience in the right place. 

It’s serious business, as demonstrated by a recent advertising claims clash between beverage rivals Pepsi and Coca-Cola.  Their competition in the sports drink category has served to bring down the cost of healthy drinks. It is also evident that both Pepsi and Coke are spending more and more of their massive advertising budgets on the promotion of their new healthy brands.

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