Sales of non-alcoholic sugar-free drinks served at Wetherspoon pubs are on the increase – according to research from the pub company.
The research shows that 59 per cent of soft drinks, coffee and tea sales in its pubs are sold as sugar free (though some customers might choose to add sugar to hot drinks).
Wetherspoon chairman Tim Martin argues that it highlights the fact that, given the choice of a range of drinks on sale in the company’s 950 pubs across the UK, most customers opt for sugar-free.
He says: “In my opinion the figures show that taxing sugar in drinks is illogical unless you go further and tax desserts, chocolate, birthday cakes and other products that contain sugar.
“In addition, the views concerning the apparent unhealthy characteristics of food are uncertain and are often based on fashion, not science.
“Eggs, for example, were regarded as unhealthy for decades, but the advice has since been reversed.
“Had the government imposed a tax on eggs, an injustice would have been compounded.
“Since vast areas of pseudo-medical advice concerning food have been overturned in recent years, legislators should tread warily before imposing extra taxes.”
This is average weekly sales based on Wetherspoon recent trading period (25th Jan to 21st Feb, inc.)
Soft and hot drink volumes per week:
| Low Sugar: | |
| Coffee & Tea | 890,476 |
| Cola & Lemonade | 309,366 |
| Water | 42,546 |
| Tonic Water | 20,412 |
| Other low sugar drinks | 16,191 |
| Total | 1,278,991 |
| Contains Sugar: | |
| Cola | 372,059 |
| Bottled & Canned Soft Drinks | 229,813 |
| Fruit Juices | 158,756 |
| Hot Chocolate, Mocha & Iced Tea etc | 82,054 |
| Cordials | 63,773 |
| Total | 906,455 |
| Total hot and soft drinks | 2,185,446 |