As consumers turn to products with less sugar, some traditional beverage categories have seen the effects. That trend along with the rapid growth of bottled water and the popularity of energy drinks are impacting the $16.6 billion juice sector, which experienced a year of declines as dollar sales fell 7.5 percent and units slipped 12 percent, stated Susan Viamari, vice president for Thought Leadership at Chicago-based Information Resources Inc. (IRI), in January’s Beverage Industry issue
Dollar sales for refrigerated orange juices contracted 5 percent to more than $2.8 billion in U.S. supermarkets, drug stores, mass merchandisers, gas and convenience stores, military commissaries, and select club and dollar retail chains for the 52 weeks ending May 20, IRI data indicates.