Semi-skimmed soft drinks

The most important change in the world of non-alcoholic beverages this year, I think, is the growing push towards mid-calorie carbonates as the possible future mainstream of regular soft drinks.

Natural milk is not full fat at all. It has around 4% fat. But semi-skimmed milk is now more popular in some countries. It tastes just as good, if not better, and has half the fat. Skimmed milk, at 0.1% fat, is preferred by a minority.

And so, perhaps, for soft drinks?

Diet and then zero have become immensely popular, but many feel they are a compromise on both pleasure and health. Sweeteners are under ever more scrutiny. The most successful sweeteners of the future must be more natural.

There has been increasing experimentation with mid-calorie drinks, such as Dr Pepper Snapple’s ten calorie range and Coca-Cola Life’s 60% calorie reduction.

Could these become the new normal? Not if you judge by today’s results. But I wouldn’t rule them out for tomorrow’s trend.