Monthly household consumption of soft drinks and soda water in Spain 2021, by type

Spain’s hot summers can clearly be reflected in the consumption of soft drinks and soda at Spanish households. The latest figures reveal that July and August are the peak months for these refreshments, of which cola drinks stand out as the most consumed by far throughout the year, with almost 80 metric tons during the month of July in 2021. This number represents about 18 percent of all soft drinks consumed in Spain, outstripping by a large margin the consumption share of orange beverages, the second on the list at 4.7 percent of soft drink intake in Spain.

Spain: sugar-free cola and decreasing sugar consumption

The consumption of soft drinks has raised major health concerns among the population due to the amount of added sugars manufacturers use as an ingredient to sweeten these beverages. As experts and health organizations continually associate sugary drinks with ailments like obesity or hypertension, many are shifting their consumption habits towards sugar-free, artificially sweetened drinks. In fact, in Spain the consumption of sugar-free cola is by now more common than that of regular cola. This level of concern among the population will come as no surprise – in 2019, about 12 percent of deaths in Spain were directly linked to dietary habits, second only to tobacco use. Generally speaking, sugar intake in Spain is gradually decreasing, with the average Spaniard consuming about 3.1 kilograms of sugar in 2019, down from 4.4 kilograms in 2013.

The world’s increasing sweet tooth

Sugar has been used to make our food sweeter and tastier since time immemorial. Its overconsumption however can derive in many dietary-related health problems, and the world seems to be constantly upping its intake to meet the population’s demand for sweetness. In the last decade, global sugar consumption increased from 154 million metric tons in 2009/2010 to almost 171.6 metric tons in 2019/2020. This figure is only expected to increase by 2021 at approximately 178 million metric tons of sugar consumed globally.