Lean juice unlikely to be a game changer, says GlobalData

Juice has been acknowledged as a rapidly declining soft drinks category, with volumes weakening by 3 % in 2019, compared to the same period in 2018, according to leading data and analytics company GlobalData’s UK Quarterly Beverage Forecast in Q4 2019.

Holly Inglis, Beverages Analyst at GlobalData, comments: “Although the juice category is free from the sugar tax levy in the UK, consumption has still seen a downward turn in recent years, with consumers opting for other soft drinks categories such as iced/ready-to-drink (RTD) teas and enhanced waters, although none of these promote lean tags.

Another finding from GlobalData’s surveys include that a total ^*43 % of UK consumers claim they pay a high to very high amount of attention to the ingredients used in the food and drinks they consume.

An attempted turnaround in 2020 is Tropicana Lean – a new juice variant that indicates a movement towards better-for-you beverages in line with current consumer beverage trends.This poses the question whether Tropicana is taking a leap of faith with promoting a lean juice, or in fact we will welcome a new entry into the soft drinks market that combines hydration with health.

Inglis noted: “Tropicana’s innovation comes soon after the brand’s release of Tropicana Whole Fruit in May 2019, which attempted to impact the market with its high-fibre claims.”

^*GlobalData’s Q3 2019 Consumer Survey