What do you mean by reformulation in the context of soft drinks?
Pierre Decroix: Reformulation is about making changes to an existing recipe, and it’s something the food and drink sector has been doing for a long time. In the case of soft drinks, reformulation for health mainly means reducing sugar and calories.
That sounds straightforward, but sugar plays several roles in a drink. It doesn’t just provide sweetness - it also affects texture, mouthfeel, preservation and even colour. So reducing it is rarely a single change; it often means rebalancing the whole recipe, with careful testing to make sure products remain safe, compliant and enjoyable.
In practice, reformulation can take different forms. Sometimes recipes are adjusted gradually; in other cases, lower‑ or no‑sugar options are developed alongside existing products.
How do you make sure reformulated drinks still meet consumer expectations?
PD: By being cautious about how changes are introduced, and by checking how people actually respond before moving too far. Reformulation isn’t about assuming what consumers will accept - it’s about observing how small changes are perceived and adjusting accordingly.
That usually means testing different versions of a recipe with taste testers - both trained panels and everyday consumers - who are asked to try the drink and give feedback on things like sweetness, balance and overall enjoyment. If something doesn’t land as expected, we pause or adjust rather than pushing it through.
It’s a very practical process, grounded in feedback and real insights rather than theory.
What is SBFE’s approach to reformulation for health?
PD: Over the past decade, we’ve reformulated more than 300 drinks across Europe and reduced added sugar across our portfolio by 35%. That gives a sense of the scale at which reformulation is already happening.
We tend to work in two ways. On the one hand, we gradually reduce sugar in well‑known drinks, taking care not to change what people enjoy about them. On the other, we develop lower‑ and no‑sugar options alongside existing products, so consumers have genuine choice.
At Suntory, we put a lot of emphasis on understanding how people actually drink our products in everyday life – the moments they’re consumed, the habits around them, and the role they play in different cultures. Internally, we refer to this way of working as Seikatsuka. In practice, it’s about recognising that tastes, routines and expectations aren’t the same everywhere, and that reformulation has to respect those differences to be successful.
That’s why our teams work closely on adapting recipes in ways that feel natural and familiar, while still delivering consistent quality at scale. It allows brands like Orangina, Oasis or Ribena to evolve in ways that make sense to people, rather than feeling imposed on them.
Can you give a few concrete examples of how this approach has played out in practice?
PD: A good example is Oasis in France, where sugar has been reduced gradually over time. Since 2006, sugar content has been lowered from 10.7g to 6g per 100ml - a 44% reduction compared to the original recipe - allowing tastes to adjust while keeping the product one of France’s best selling drinks..
In Spain, Schweppes Tonica shows how deeper sugar reduction can be achieved through gradual reformulation, using authorised sweeteners as part of the recipe. Since its original recipe, the sugar content has been reduced progressively, from 8.9g per 100ml to 2.4g per 100ml today, while maintaining the drink’s distinctive taste profile.
In Great Britain and Ireland, Ribena shows how the use of sweeteners can be fundamental to achieving significant sugar reduction. Since 2017, the recipe has been reformulated to progressively reduce sugar from 10g per 100ml to 4.3g per 100ml today. This represents a 57% reduction compared to 2015, while maintaining the essence of Ribena’s historical recipe.
What does it take to make reformulation work across different countries?
PD: It starts with recognising that drinks are consumed in very different contexts. Culture, habits, consumption occasions and even factors like climate or lifestyle all influence what people expect from a drink, and those differences matter when reformulating products.
Developing drinks that suit those everyday needs and moments is the starting point - reformulation has to make sense in people’s lives, not just on paper. The aim is to create products that fit naturally into how and when people drink them, and ultimately enhance those moments rather than disrupt them.
At the same time, once products are reformulated, they still need to be produced consistently, safely and in line with regulatory requirements. Even small changes can affect how a drink behaves in production or over its shelf life, which is why changes need to be tested thoroughly before being rolled out more widely.
Making reformulation work across countries therefore means aligning cultural understanding with manufacturing reality - and allowing the time needed to make sure changes hold up once they move beyond a single recipe or context.
What role can policymakers play in supporting this progress?
PD: Policymakers have an important role in creating a framework that supports reformulation. That starts with evidence‑based decision‑making, grounded in nutrition science and real‑world consumption data.
It also means providing regulatory predictability. Stable, science-based frameworks enable long-term investment in reformulation, including the development and approval of new ingredients and technologies. Clear and consistent rules across markets also help companies scale innovation more effectively.
Finally, it’s important that rules don’t unintentionally slow progress by making gradual change harder to achieve. Reformulation that happens step by step, and fixed thresholds - such as the requirement to achieve a 30% energy reduction before certain authorised sweeteners can be used - can make it difficult to pursue incremental sugar reduction, even where those ingredients are safe and already approved. Leaving room for gradual reformulation helps ensure progress continues at scale.
Finally, what should policymakers take away from this?
PD: There is no single definition of a “healthy diet.” Supporting healthier lifestyles requires a holistic, evidence-based approach that considers overall dietary patterns over time, rather than focusing on individual nutrients or products in isolation.
The beverage sector is already contributing to this effort through reformulation: reducing sugar and calories, offering smaller portion sizes, expanding low- and no-calorie options, and providing transparent nutrition information to help consumers make informed choices.
Balanced diets are not about restriction or perfection. Enjoyment is an important part of eating well, and a wide range of products can be consumed within recommended nutritional guidelines.
Policymaking should build on this progress, supporting innovation, enabling consumer choice, and fostering collaboration across the food system.
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