This drink has changed its composition in recent months.
50 liters per year and per person is the average consumption of sodas in France according to figures from Inserm dating from 2019. If the introduction of the soda tax in 2018 had an effect on the prices of these sweet drinks , the French therefore remain particularly fond of these drinks, most often carbonated, despite health warnings, starting with the risks of obesity or diabetes.
The sugar level of these drinks is particularly targeted by health authorities. If the brands have focused their communication plan on sugar-free products (Light or so-called “Zero”), classic sodas with historical recipes still remain the best-selling. To counter rising taxes and try to maintain their market share, some brands have changed the composition of their sodas in recent months.
By examining the labels on the shelves, consumers who are fond of sodas will be able to see big differences between seemingly similar products. This is the case of a well-known cola drink, the category that dominates the soda market in France. It which contained 36 grams of sugar in a simple 33cl can now only has 15 grams, more than half as much as before. The reason ? A recipe change presented as “validated by consumers”.
This brand is Pepsi, the historic rival of Coca-Cola. The latter remains by far the number 1 in France. To further worry him, the Pepsi brand changed its range in 2023, the less sweet “Pepsi Max” serving as the basis for the new recipe and accompanied by the new name “Pepsi Zéro Sucres”, without sugar. With this new recipe, the so-called classic Pepsi contains half as much sugar as Red Bull Cola, Breizh-Cola, and almost two and a half times less than Coca-Cola or Freeway Cola known to Lidl customers.
Note, however, that another brand has made the same choice, Dr Pepper, whose sugar level has fallen by 32% to now be 22 grams of sugar per can. 22 grams of sugar is still almost 4 sugar cubes in a single drink and close to the total recommended amount of sugar in a day: 25 grams.
Be careful, less sugar and changing the recipe also means adding other products. Both Pepsi and Dr Pepper use synthetic products, the famous sweeteners. The Pepsi sold in France like its rival contains sucralose (E955) and acesulfame K (E950), two sweeteners which are still the subject of medical studies on possible effects on health. INSERM has already warned about the consumption of sweeteners, judging that it could be “associated with an increase in the risk of cardiovascular diseases, and more precisely cerebrovascular diseases”.
