Less sugar, more function: where non-alcoholic drinks are shifting
In non-alcoholic drinks, a fairly clear movement is taking shape, even if it is still evolving: less sugar, more attention to function. This is not just a “healthy” choice or a marketing reflex. It is being pushed forward by changing consumer expectations, regulatory pressure and, in some markets, also by the profile of people using GLP-1 class medications to manage weight or chronic metabolic conditions.
The first GLP-1 drugs were approved in the United States in 2005, but their reach has expanded especially in recent years. A late-2025 KFF survey found that about one in eight U.S. adults currently takes a GLP-1 medication and nearly one in five has taken one at some point. The impact is not limited to the individual user: some market analyses suggest possible effects on household purchasing habits as well. For drinks, this opens up a new area of observation: lighter, practical and more targeted formulas, designed for people looking for products that are easy to fit into the day.
For beverage makers, the signal is real, but it should not be read as a fully formed revolution. Some operators are beginning to think about drinks better suited to consumers with reduced appetite or greater digestive sensitivity, two aspects often associated with these therapies. In this context, beverages become a convenient format: easy to consume, quick to take in and easier to fit into daily routines than some other nutritional products. It is an area the sector is watching closely, especially because it overlaps with a broader search for lightness and functionality.
Europe: sugar under pressure, alternatives still catching up
If GLP-1 is helping refocus the role of functional drinks in the United States, Europe’s driver is more regulatory. In Germany, a levy on sugary soft drinks is planned from 2028, with legislative details still to be defined and a structure linked to sugar content. The stated aim is to push manufacturers toward reformulation, but the measure has already drawn criticism from industry groups, which see a mismatch between pressure on sugar and the availability of approved alternatives.
The picture here is more nuanced than it is often made out to be. Allulose, for example, is still not authorised in the EU: EFSA identified data gaps in the submitted dossier and requested additional information from the applicant. Monk fruit also faces regulatory hurdles, with some extract forms still lacking broad sweetener authorisation. In other words, the sector is operating in a space where reducing sugar is encouraged, but the tools to do so are not always ready at the same pace.
The market is adapting, but the signs are still local
In the meantime, some companies are already recalibrating their ranges. In Germany, Franken Brunnen, a regional mineral water and beverage producer, has expanded its portfolio with two new sugar-free products: a raspberry-noted flavoured water and a tropical variant in the Limit ZERO line. The company also points to market data suggesting that in 2025 zero-sugar and sugar-reduced listings gained ground against sweetened versions in the German market. It is a bounded example, but a useful one: even regionally focused players are trying to meet demand for a lighter calorie profile without giving up taste.
Taken together, these signals point to a sector under pressure from several directions at once. Consumers are looking more closely at what is in their drinks; regulators are trying to accelerate reformulation without always making alternatives easy to use. In between, producers are searching for a credible balance between taste, calorie content and function. Rather than a completed transformation, what is emerging looks more like a shift taking shape one case at a time.
