Three in four Americans are cutting back on sugar, and beverage brands are listening. From energy drinks to flavored waters, a revolution is underway—driven by health-conscious consumers seeking low and no-calorie alternatives. At the heart of this shift is stevia, the non-artificial sweetener that’s paving the way for a new generation of zero- and reduced-sugar beverages.

The sweetener shift

Numbers tell the story. The latest data from the International Food Information Council (IFIC) finds three-quarters of U.S. consumers are trying to limit or avoid sugar. At the same time, shoppers rank promises of “no artificial sweeteners” among the most influential on purchase decisions.¹

Beverage brands are taking note of both these demands, a trend that is especially apparent when we look at U.S. soft drink sales data by sweetener. Sales of beverages containing stevia are rapidly increasing, delivering an astounding 79% increase in dollar sales and a 36% increase in equivalized unit sales, year-over-year.²

In stark contrast, drinks made with traditional nutritive sweeteners continue to experience declining unit sales. Artificial sweeteners aren’t faring much better, with nearly flat unit sales and only modest revenue gains.² The message is clear: Beverages with non-artificial sweeteners are driving growth, and stevia is leading the charge.

Stevia’s evolution

This explosive growth isn’t happening by chance. Advanced options like Cargill’s EverSweet® stevia sweetener are light years away from earlier iterations. They taste better and deliver a higher sweetness intensity.

In addition, new non-artificial ingredients are helping to further close the gap, managing challenges around glycoside solubility and improving sweetness profiles. Complementing stevia, formulators now have a supporting toolkit of other non-artificial choices – including allulose and erythritol – that can be used in carefully crafted combinations to achieve sugar reduction and deliver the sensory experience consumers love.

What’s next 

For brands, the time to act is now. Staying competitive means leveraging cutting-edge ingredients and formulation techniques through collaboration with an industry leader like Cargill. Together, we can create beverages that balance sugar content with exceptional taste, setting the stage for products that delight consumers and redefine the beverage market.

Looking ahead, the future of sugar reduction is bright. Advances in technology promise to unlock even greater potential for non-artificial sweeteners. For example, new enzymatic processes and advances in fermentation technology could deliver compounds that bring improved taste and functionality, especially when paired with other ingredients and technologies.

Know that Cargill will continue to lead in this space, expanding our sugar-reduction toolkit to support brands with innovative, on-trend solutions that deliver exceptional taste and cost-effectiveness. To learn more, visit our “What’s Hot Resource Center” and dive deeper into sugar-reduction trends, innovative formulations, and the latest ingredient solutions.

Together, we can shape the future of the beverage industry.

¹Cargill proprietary research.

²NielsenIQ