Low-calorie drinks lead Canadian beverage market: report

Canadians are increasingly opting for low-calorie beverages. 

Daily calorie intake from beverages dropped 23% between 2014 and 2024, Signal49 Research and the Canadian Beverage Association report in a new study.

Low-calorie drinks now lead the market, making up more than half of all beverage volumes and growing nearly 40%, while high-calorie options continue to decline.

The report, A Decade of Calorie Reduction, attributes the change to product reformulation, the rapid expansion of no- and low-sugar options and sustained shifts in consumer preferences

Average calories per serving in purchased beverages fell by 20.3%, while overall beverage volumes declined by just 3.3%.

Ready-to-drink coffee surged more than 600%, while flavoured and enhanced water grew nearly 150%. Still drinks shrunk 35%

“This progress shows what’s possible when innovation, consumer demand, and public policy goals move in the same direction,” said Krista Scaldwell, president of the Canadian Beverage Association, in a press release. “Our industry responded with reformulation and new product choice, and Canadians responded just as quickly.” 

The most pronounced decline in beverage calories occurred between 2014 and 2017, as producers reformulated flagship brands, expanded diet and zero-sugar portfolios and introduced smaller package sizes, the association said.

The Canadian Beverage Association launched its Balance Calories Initiative in 2015 in an effort to reduce the number of calories Canadians consume from non-alcoholic beverages.