Coca-Cola Co. and PepsiCo Inc. agreed to lower the amount of sugar in their beverages in France by 2015 and limit advertising aimed at young children.
Local units of Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Orangina Schweppes and juice bottler Refresco Gerber BV signed an agreement to cut sugar in non-alcoholic beverages by an average of 5 per cent in the 2010-2015 period, France’s Agriculture Ministry said today in a statement.
France has a running campaign to encourage healthier eating and in 2011 introduced rules to improve nutritional quality of meals in school canteens. Adult obesity in the country more than doubled between 1990 and 2010, according to data from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.
“The industry’s commitment reflects its willingness to improve the range of food offered to French consumers, in the knowledge that soft drinks contribute about 6 per cent to 8 per cent of sugar intake,” the ministry said.
Obesity in France increased to 12.9 per cent of the adult population in 2010 from 5.8 per cent in 1990, data from the OECD show. That was still below most other European Union countries, including Germany with 14.7 per cent and the UK with 26.1 per cent.
The five companies that signed the agreement account for more than 80 per cent of the French soft-drinks market, both in value and volume, the ministry said.
Kid Ads
The companies also agreed to stop advertising on television or Internet where 35 percent or more of the audience consists of children under 12.
French per capita soft-drink consumption of 65 litres per year compares to an EU average of 95 litres and is less than half the 144 litres consumed on average every year in Germany, according to the text of the collective industry agreement. Colas account for 55 per cent of the French soft-drinks market, fruit juices make up 28 per cent, while lemonades and tea-based beverages each account for 7.5 per cent.
A 2010 study found that soft drinks in France on average account for 2 per cent of daily calorie intake for children age three to 13 and 4 per cent for those between 15 and 20, according to the agreement.
Bloomberg News, edited by ESM
