Tesco blasts 'weak' soft drinks suppliers as it unveils 10 point plan

Tesco has unveiled a 10-point plan to “fight obesity” in soft drinks - while reportedly branding industry efforts to date as “weak”.

Tesco held an impulse category event last week with soft drinks suppliers to call for more reformulation of existing lines and greater innovation in new products, especially those aimed at children.

Its plan includes a pledge for 60% of Tesco NPD to focus on low or no-calorie drinks to develop new technology to remove 20%-30% of sugar without using sweeteners and to remove added sugar from Tesco own-brand squash.

It will also skew promotions towards “driving low-calorie brands”, while its prime shelf space will be dominated by diet varieties. Tesco stressed the move was aimed equally at branded and own-label suppliers.

Tesco soft drinks buying manager David Beardmore told suppliers the industry’s efforts had been “weak” and “failed to go far enough”, a drinks industry source told The Grocer. “Tesco wants to make the point that its partnership with Diabetes UK is not just a publicity stunt and it’s serious about fighting obesity,” the source added.

“As part of our commitment to healthier lives, we [want it to be] easier to make informed, healthy choices,” Beardmore told The Grocer. “We have already removed two billion calories from our soft drinks and have identified 10 key areas where we can go further.”

Tesco’s move came days before a report in the BMJ this week claimed a 20% tax on sugary drinks would reduce the number of obese adults in the UK by 180,000, or 1%.