SHS Drinks is set to launch a lower-calorie version of its grape juice-based drink Shloer, becoming the latest supplier to adopt the naturally sourced sweetener stevia in a bid to help tackle obesity.
The new variety, Shloer Light, will launch exclusively in 1,200 Tesco stores in the next few weeks. It contains 22 kcals per 100ml, compared with the original’s 44 kcals per 100ml.
SHS said the move reflected consumer demand for lower-calorie products while also delivering against the government’s Responsibility Deal and Tesco’s plan to tackle obesity by slashing calories from its soft drinks range.
Under the deal, Tesco will have exclusivity until February, with the new drink available in both white grape and red grape flavours - the two biggest-selling variants in the Shloer range.
The ‘stevia leaf’ logo will feature on the front of the bottle, with the calorie content displayed on the neck label. The drink will come in 750ml glass bottles, with the same £2.25 rsp as its forerunner.
Amanda Grabham, marketing director for soft drinks, said SHS had been developing the drink for two years and had come up with a formulation using a “modest amount of stevia” and no artificial flavours.
“We did not want to compromise the flavour, quality and integrity of the brand or its ‘no artificial colours, sweeteners or preservatives’ stance; the use of stevia leaf extract has enabled us to achieve this goal whilst retaining the same juice content as the ‘regular’ Shloer variants.”
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