According to research company Roy Morgan, Australians drank less fruit juice in 2014. This continued a four-year trend. They reported that over 1.5 million fewer Australians aged 14 years or more drank packaged juice in an average week compared with 2010.
The three top brands, Berri, Golden Circle and Daily Juice, all saw their usage decline. But the Nudie brand, popular with the group Morgans labels “Metrotechs”, showed some growth. House brands were also making inroads into the market.
The decline in packaged fruit juice consumption could have been because it was no longer seen as entirely healthy. Studies have linked high consumption of fruit juice to childhood obesity. The sugars in juice mean a relatively high kilojoule count and a high GI – bad for dieters. For example, grape juice may have 50% more sugar than Coca-Cola. There is also concern that the acid level in fruit juice damages children’s teeth.
The move away from juices continued and a 2016 study showed 5.3 million people (26.9%) drinking an average 4.3 glasses each per week (a fall from 6.6 million people drinking 4.6 glasses a week in 2012). The same study reported that juice bars such as Boost Juice had a different image from packaged juices. Juice bar customers were 119% more likely than the population average to ‘look for drinks with added ingredients that are good for my body’.
Nutritionists are now recommending that people eat their fruit, rather than drinking it. This hasn’t stopped Boost Juice – the company that has grown from one Adelaide store to a massive franchise with 200 Australian and 100 international outlets.
Market trends in 2018 showed a movement away from “ambient juice” – in other words, juice that can be stored at room temperature – towards chilled juice. A report from that time suggested millennials (those born between 1981 and 1996) and families with young children were the key targets for premium juice products. For millennials juice was seen as an indulgence, while families with young children were looking for high-quality ingredients.