Pepsi lovers may be upset to learn that a big change is being made to the soft drink's long standing recipe.
PepsiCo UK & Ireland have announced that classic Pepsi will now contain about 57 per cent less sugar. The new recipe will impact canned and bottled Pepsi sold in retailers across the UK and Ireland, which will also contain less calories than the current version.
However, diet Pepsi and Pepsi Max won't be impacted as they are already sugar free. Similarly, Pepsi served in restaurants and hospitality venues won't change either, but officials say they are keeping this decision "under review".
Pepsi's existing recipe contains 10.65g of sugar per 100ml and PepsiCo have "worked hard" to modify the recipe to include less sugar while keeping the "great taste people expect".
As reported by the Mirror, this is how Pepsi drinks will be affected:
- A 2L bottle will now contain 91g of sugar - previously it was 213g
- A 500ml bottle will now contain 22.75g of sugar - previously it was 53.25g
- A 330ml can will now contain 15g of sugar - previously it was 36g
In addition to a lower amount of sugar, the reformulated Pepsi is sweetened with a blend of "acesulfame potassium and sucralose" which means that it now has 56 per cent fewer calories from added sugars.
The Pepsi drinks will also include updated nutritional information on the packaging to show how much sugar is in each drink. People are advised to check the label before buying the drink as there could be both new and old versions of the recipe sold at the same time.
Companies have been under pressure over the last few years to reduce the amount of sugar in their products to help with the UK nation's health. In April 2018, the UK introduced a "sugar tax" which was a levy put on drinks companies to crack down on the high levels of sugar in their drinks.
The levy taxed the companies according to the sugar content in their products and drinks with less than 5g of sugar per 100ml are exempt according to the Institute for Government.
Other drinks manufacturers have also worked to reduce the amount of sugar in their drinks with Pepsi's rival Coca-Cola also making moves. According to the company, it has removed around 900,000 tonnes of added sugar in its global portfolio of drinks from between 2017-2021.
It also said it has reformulated more than 1,000 of its products with some of its most popular products, including Coca-Cola, Fanta, Sprite, and Fuze Tea having at least 30 per cent less sugar in its recipe now compared to before.
Data from the Insitute for Government estimate that the sugar tax has resulted in more than 50 per cent of manufacturers reducing the sugar content of their products.
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