NON-ALCOHOLIC DRINKS AND INNOVATION

Non-alcoholic drinks make up a market worth $1,040 billion in the world in 2019. 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 in 2017 amounted to $44.5 billion, according to a report by Polaris Market Research.

But the energy drinks segment still remains marginal. Bottled water, for example is a long way ahead, making up more than a quarter of the worldwide alcohol-free drinks market. This represents $266 billion in revenue in 2018 and 38% growth expected between now and 2023.

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 2018, this sector combined with hot drinks brought together 593 exhibitors at SIAL, 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.

For manufacturers and sellers of original products, it is also a chance to take part in the SIAL Innovation Awards and compete for the top prize in their respective categories.

At the previous edition, the winner of the non-alcoholic drinks award was the Portuguese firm GL SA and its brand SoNatural for its product Give It a Shot, launched in May 2018. This highly functional drink, based on activated charcoal, ginger, turmeric and cayenne pepper, is consumed like a shot. It was distinguished for its original packaging, its functional properties and its ingredients.