DEFINITIONS

SOFT DRINKS

Bottled waters

The bottled water category includes plain still and sparkling water in retail sizes up to 2 litres and also jugs up to 10 litres. Bulk packs/HOD are excluded. Excludes unsweetened flavoured waters, i.e. with fruit essence. These are included in the Flavoured water category.

Flavoured waters

Includes both unsweetened flavoured waters (with fruit essence) and sweetened flavoured waters.

Flavoured functional waters

Flavoured waters that contain added botanicals, vitamins, minerals, oxygen or other functional ingredients. The functional ingredients (e.g. herbs such as mallow) may also serve as flavouring. Either clear or opaque.

Fruit juices

100% fruit content equivalent. Sometimes referred to as pure juice or 100% juice. Smoothies are also included here.

Nectars

25 to 99% juice content.

Fruit drinks

Fruit based drinks with content up to 24%. Generally these will be still drinks that have a fruit positioning but are not iced teas or another specific category.

Iced Tea

This is still and sparkling variants. These are drinks that portray themselves as tea-based. They almost all have a fruit flavour, peach and lemon the most popular.

Sports drinks

Sports drinks are defined as beverages using scientific analysis to make claims about the improvement of physical performance during sport or about speeding recovery. Sports drinks are divided into isotonic, hypotonic and hypertonic drinks, based on their osmolality relative to that of blood. The osmolality of a fluid is a measure of the number of particles in a solution. In a drink these particles will comprise of carbohydrate and electrolytes. Isotonic drinks are in balance with the body's fluid. They quickly replace fluids and minerals lost by sweating and supply a boost of carbohydrate. Hypotonic fluids have fewer particles than blood and replenish fluids lost through sweat faster than isotonic drinks and without a carbohydrate boost. Hypertonic drinks have more particles than blood. They are used to supplement daily carbohydrate intake normally after exercise to top up muscle glycogen stores.

Other functional drinks

Also known as nutraceuticals, these products derive their functionality, in most cases, from a combination of different ingredients. They provide a specific health benefit (such as improved digestion) or are designed for a specific purpose (such as increased libido). Nutraceuticals are divided into two broad segments; mind drinks and body drinks, each of which has a myriad of particularly oriented sub-segments.

Other still

Other still drinks not elsewhere specified that have a non-fruit base - coconut for instance.

Energy drinks

The energy drinks category only includes the functional energy drinks, or body and mind stimulation drinks. It thus excludes glucose based refreshment energy drinks, such as Lucozade NRG. Broadly speaking, the products this category thus captures are those providing a quick boost, with a definite image reinforced by the promotion and packaging.

Iced Coffee

These are ready to drink coffee based drinks served and consumed cold.

Carbonates

The carbonates category includes sparkling soft drinks with a flavour, often cola, lemon/lime or orange, but other variants too.

HOT DRINKS

Coffee

Coffee (bean, powdered)

Tea

Green, black, white, herbal

Other hot

Cocoa/hot chocolate

Malt or plant-based powders, granules, etc mixed with either water or milk
Other hot non-alcoholic beverages, mainly powdered
Note: maté drinks are quantified under tea volumes

MILK DRINKS

Milk

  • White dairy drinking milk: includes both long-life and fresh drinking milks. Does not include powder, condensed or evaporated milks
  • Long life/preserved milk: UHT and sterilized
  • Fresh milk: pasteurised untreated and ESL (extended shelf life)
  • Other dairy milk including enriched and lactose reduced

Flavoured milk

  • Traditional flavoured milks: white milk – either long life or fresh to which some type of flavour and often colour and stabilisers have been added. This sector also includes lactose-reduced flavoured milk
  • Milkshakes – milk based (fresh or UHT) flavoured with syrup/other flavourings
  • Other flavoured milk drinks including carbonated milk drinks

ALCOHOL

Beer

  • Lager, bitter, stout

Wine

  • Wine (including sparkling wine)
  • Champagne

Spirits

  • Spirits (vodka, rum, whisky, gin)

Other alcohol

Cider

  • Low alcohol spirits
  • Alcopops
  • Sherry
  • Fortified wine