According to a recent report from market research company Canadean, 50 percent of consumers surveyed believe that energy drinks are bad for their health.
Despite this belief, the category is still experiencing impressive growth however, Canadean believe that manufacturers need to develop healthier formulas in order to secure the longer-term success of the market.
The report revealed that the UK’s energy drink consumption has gone up from 375 million litres in 2010, to 500 million litres in 2013. The report also found that almost one in ten Britons consume energy drinks, with half of them doing so on a weekly basis.
However, the survey also shows that consumers have concerns over the ingredients used in energy drinks. Almost six out of 10 energy drink consumers believe that energy drink consumption is bad for their health and that the ingredients included in energy drinks are worrying. Moreover, 72 percent of all respondents who drink energy drinks think that there should be a restriction on the sale of energy and stimulant drinks to children.
“More and more consumers exchange reviews and opinions about food and drinks ingredients online and are able to look up dubious additives and e-numbers quickly,” said Thomas Delaney, analyst at Canadean. “This means that manufacturers need to become more transparent regarding their ingredients and react fast to negative news online. For example, some brands have adopted a taurine-free ingredients list after the amino sulfonic acid commonly added to energy drinks had received bad press linking it to increased blood pressure, seizures, strokes and heart diseases.”
Delaney says that it is essential that manufacturers look to developing healthier variants if they wish to maintain their piece of the energy drink market.
“Although the two biggest players in the energy drinks market have not yet incorporated taurine-free energy drinks in their product ranges, Red Bull's sugar-free and zero calories variants and Monster Energy's absolutely zero beverage attest to a trend towards healthier drinks. They are tell-tale signs of a diverging energy drinks market.”