Tesco has joined forces with Action on Sugar in assault on added sugar in soft drinks

Tesco is planning a major crackdown on sugar in soft drinks after joining forces with the Action on Sugar campaign to call for sweeping reductions across the industry, The Grocer can reveal.

Tesco has written to suppliers telling them it wants to remove all added sugar from the kids’ soft drinks fixture by February as the first step in a broader strategy to cut sugar and artificial sweeteners from soft drinks lines.

It is a major breakthrough for Action on Sugar, which claimed this week to have won backing from other retailers and suppliers.

“I don’t see any reason why we should be adding sugar to children’s drinks,” said Tesco soft drinks buying manager David Beardmore.

“Action on Sugar came to us because they wanted to understand how we can launch something across the industry. We have a joined-up plan with them and the DH,” he explained. “Whether its idea of the Responsibility Deal pledge on targets goes ahead or not, we believe the industry needs to take more action. It’s been too defensive.”

Beardmore said he believed 80% of suppliers would act on the call but admitted tough conversations with others lay ahead.

Action on Sugar campaign director Katherine Jenner said: “We have had agreement in principle from a number of producers on a number of different types of product. I would say that the biggest support has come from retailers.”

Richard Dennett, senior buyer for The Co-op Group, this week told the Zenith Soft Drinks Conference it was planning a major move to slash sugar from its shelves, and Asda soft drinks buying manager Shelley Edmondson said innovation of healthy new products was “fundamental”.

However, there is huge opposition to key elements of Action on Sugar’s campaign. Gavin Partington, director general of the British Soft Drinks Association, said the industry could achieve far more by agreeing to commit to a new overall calorie reduction target rather than demonising sugar.

“I find it hard to square Action on Sugar’s call for the industry to quietly get on and reformulate their products with the shock tactics and Daily Mail headlines they use about sugar being the new tobacco,” he said.

Feel Good Drinks MD Dave Wallwork, who said its products were already 90% or more no added sugar, added it was “nonsense” to suggest all lines could go further through gradual changes to re-educate consumer tastes.

Manufacturers should be “proud” of the reformulation efforts that had already taken place under the Responsibility Deal, added Julian Hunt, VP of public affairs at Coca-Cola Enterprises.