Zero-calorie and unsweetened iced teas gaining ground in the US
In the US, iced tea is traditionally enjoyed with sugar or other sweeteners. But as consumers shift towards healthier food and beverage options, demand for zero-calorie and unsweetened iced tea is picking up. As BevNet reports, the US ready-to-drink tea category, worth about $3 billion in sales, is currently experimenting with several alternative sweeteners intended to reduce the amount of calories in drinks. However, if recent market research is of any indication, consumers are more interested in reducing their overall calorie intake rather than avoiding a specific sweetener. That opens the door to zero-calorie drinks, such as Steaz, using innovative sweeteners that are calorie-free and to unsweetened tea manufacturers, such as Ito En.