Portugal saw sales of high-sugar drinks - those that contain more than 80 grams of sugar per litre - drop 72% in April, according to preliminary data from the country’s Ministério da Saúde (Ministry of Health).
This follows the introduction of a sugar tax on 1 February. Two rates of tax are now applied – a higher rate (€16.46/hectolitre) for beverages with 80 or more grams of sugar, and a lower rate for those containing less than 80 grams.
Drinks Trends
Sales fell from a monthly average of 29 million litres in February to slightly over 8 million in April, reports Publico. Consumption of beverages with less than 80 grams of sugar increased in February, however, this trend was reversed in April.
The Portuguese authorities give various explanations for these trends, according to news portal i-online. The government admits that the fall may be due to product reformulation by leading soft drinks manufacturers, as well as a change in consumption.
© 2017 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Branislav Pekic. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine
