Deena Shanker of Bloomberg reports that a new wave of “healthier” sodas like Poppi and Olipop is gaining ground, offering low-sugar, gut-friendly alternatives to traditional soft drinks. Marketed with prebiotics and natural ingredients, these fizzy drinks appeal to wellness-conscious Gen Z and millennials and are growing fast—though some experts question their health claims. Major brands like PepsiCo are buying in, signaling the category’s staying power despite rising competition and skepticism.
If you’re the type of person who enjoys a cold, fizzy beverage, and you’re also the type of person who—at least in theory—wants to live a moderately healthier lifestyle, this is your golden age.
If you want to drown in choice, go to Whole Foods—in addition to Poppi and Olipop, it stocks SunSip, Wildwonder, Cove, Nixie, Zevia, Culture Pop Soda and its own 365 brand of zero-calorie cola. […]
The category makes up a small but rapidly growing slice of the $44 billion US carbonated beverage market. The two leading brands, Olipop and Poppi, accounted for 2.7% of the market’s retail sales for the four-week period ended Feb. 23, almost double their share a year earlier, according to an analysis by Bloomberg Intelligence. […]
Also not buying the health hype is nutritionist Marion Nestle, New York University professor emerita and author of Soda Politics: Taking on Big Soda (and Winning). “I think of these drinks as dietary supplements: attractive in theory, questionable in health benefit. Better than full-sugar or diet sodas? Sure. Good choices? Again, arguable,” she says. “When it comes to beverages, water is the healthiest choice. OK. End of lecture.”
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