Flavoured waters are the new flavour of the week

Flavoured waters are quickly gaining popularity: in the Netherlands they have a market share of 20 %, in Scandinavia this is even 50 %, and sales are growing strongly in Belgium as well.

Fastest growing soda

Flavoured water (beverages that consist of 99 % water, but with an added flavour or extract) is the fastest growing category within the category soft drinks: sales in Belgium rose by 30 % in 2016 and even by 40 % in 2017. This year the trend seems to continue, Belgian public news site VRT NWS writes. In Belgium, the share is still limited (about 3.8 %), but nowadays people clearly want healthier drinks. “In recent years, people have been more inclined to look for products containing less sugar,” confirms David Marquenie, spokesman for the Belgian industry federation for water and soft drinks.

PepsiCo’s acquisition of SodaStream this month shows the growing importance of the category: the latter is known for its devices that produce sparkling and flavoured water. As schools in Flanders will no longer be allowed to offer sweetened drinks from 2021 onwards, there is still a lot of growth potential in the Belgian flavoured water market. Moreover, these drinks fell outside the scope of the increase in sugar tax at the beginning of the year and the producers are even lobbying to completely abolish the sugar tax altogether.