Less sugar, minimum carbohydrates

This article is available for reading in Trade magazin 2025/5.

Bojana Nenadovic
marketing director
Coca-Cola
HBC Magyarország

According to Bojana Nenadovic, marketing director of Coca-Cola HBC Magyarország, in 2024 the soft drink market showed a slight decline in volume but a moderate increase in value, driven by low-calorie, low-sugar and zero variants. On an annual aggregate basis, the segment grew by 7.7% in value terms.

“Data from the Hungarian Mineral Water, Fruit Juice and Soft Drink Association says that by 2023 the average sugar and energy content of drinks decreased by 48% compared to 2010”,

informs the marketing director.

She adds that we have reached a turning point: demand for private labels is on the rise, breaking the long-standing dominance of private label products.

Coca-Cola Magyarország focuses very much on low-calorie, low-sugar and completely sugar-free drinks. Under the Fanta brand the company launched the limited edition Tutti Frutti Zero in March. At the beginning of the year a new 1.75-litre PET bottle format was added to the decaffeinated Coca-Cola Zero Zero range. In the sports drinks segment they rolled out a new sugar-free blackcurrant flavour under the Powerade brand in March. Among energy drinks Monster Ultra Strawberry Dreams is already available in stores.

By 2023, the average sugar and energy content of domestic soft drinks will have decreased by 48% compared to 2010

Zero sugar, zero compromise

As consumers are becoming more health-conscious, this trend is also gaining ground in Apenta’s portfolio.

Peres Patrícia
brand manager
Maspex Olympos

“Demand for sugar-free soft drinks continues to grow, so the proportion of sugar-free drinks in our Apenta carbonated soft drink line is also increasing. The product selection currently includes ten different light Apenta flavours with 0% added sugar”,

says Patrícia Peres, senior brand manager of Maspex Olympos Kft.

In the flavoured water category the Apenta Vitamixx range is available in three sugar-free flavours. All Vitamixx drinks contain vitamins C and B. In January 2025 Apenta added two more lightly carbonated drinks to its flavoured water range. Apenta 0% sugar, 0% sweetener is special because – like the other Apenta soft drinks – it is made with natural mineral water and contains no sugar or sweeteners.

Reduced-carbohydrate products are more expensive to produce and therefore cost more, which is accepted by the majority of consumers

István Mikos
corporate director
Ceres

István Mikos, corporate director of Ceres Zrt. points out that low-carb products are more expensive to make and therefore they cost more.

“In most cases this category is booming, as more and more people are paying attention to a balanced diet or they follow special diets”,

says István Mikos.

Currently the company’s health-conscious breads are Slimmm and NewLine low-carb toast and NewLine loaf, but this spring will bring the debut of Szívbarát, a heart-friendly low-salt toast.Jelenleg ebben a szegmensben a Ceres egészségtudatos kenyerei közé tartozik a Slimmm és a NewLine szénhidrátcsökkentett toast, valamint a NewLine cipó, de a tavasz folyamán tovább bővítik a kínálatot a Szívbarát, csökkentett sótartalmú toast bevezetésével.

Strong on nutrition, smart on price

Norbert Schobert
product developmentt
director
Alakreform

Norbert Schobert, product development director of Alakreform Kft. says inflation has completely reshaped the market in the low-carb line.

“Today only those firms can survive who are suppliers of the big retail chains. Plus the multinationals are developing their private label product lines, which further narrows the available options. The good news is that the majority of customers still need personalised advice and example”,

points out Norbert Schobert.

He also notes that people often make the mistake of thinking that by buying cheap food they can save money, but these are typically made from starch, carbohydrates, sugar and flavour enhancers; because they don’t reduce hunger well, people eat much more from these than from nutrient-rich alternatives. The company’s webshop is developing nicely. Their product selection includes added sugar free, gluten-free and lactose-free products, and soon they we will launch a sports drink developed in collaboration with Vitalade, which is sugar-free, contains collagen and is made with special ingredients.

Márk Maczelka
head of communications
SPAR

According to Márk Maczelka, head of communications at SPAR Magyarország Kereskedelmi Kft., the best-selling special confectionery products are gluten- and lactose-free biscuits, as well as lactose-free and low-carb chocolates. In these segments SPAR is present with its affordable private label product range, Freefrom.

“The free-from product selection is now playing a bigger role during the festive periods – Easter and Christmas – while the demand for low-carb and no added sugar- products is particularly high in the periods afterwards”,

informs Márk Maczelka. //