Choosing a Soda Alternative: Reading Nutrition Labels and Allergen Processing

Naturally sweetened, sustainable, and ethically sourced may not give consumers all the information they need to know whether a soda alternative is right for them.

Consumers increasingly care about what ingredients are in their food and beverages, whether it be for health-conscious reasons or allergies. People are now exploring alternatives to their favorite soda products. From lower calories to lower sugar, some customers are choosing probiotic and prebiotic carbonated drinks for the content inside.

Understanding the ingredients and processing behind a healthy soda alternative goes beyond the front-of-package marketing. Reading ingredient lists and researching contents can give consumers more insight into what lower sugar or sustainable processes really mean.

When exploring soda alternatives, consumers may evaluate some fairly common nutrition facts located on food labels, such as:

• Total and added sugar per serving

• Ingredients and sweetener types

• Serving size and nutritional information

Sugars, sweeteners, and serving size can help consumers determine how many grams of sugar they will consume in one can, or whether they can have more than one can of soda per day.

Other factors, like flavor preferences and carbonation levels, may be found elsewhere besides the nutrition label, but they can help you decide whether an alternative soda is right for you.

Some consumers need to evaluate soda alternatives based on their individual dietary needs. No sugar may not always mean lower sugar, and that distinction can be important for people with health concerns.

While natural or better-for-you marketing language does not independently verify nutritional benefits, reading nutrition labels and learning about alternative sweeteners can give you more perspective on whether the product fits your routine.

According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), total sugar and added sugar are not the same. Total sugars are sugars present in the food itself. Milk and fruit contain naturally occurring sugars, and total sugar includes them.

Added sugar refers to sugars added to the product during processing. These can include table sugar, honey, and other natural sweeteners from fruit concentrates or artificial sweeteners.

Flavoring, serving size, and added sugars factor into overall sugar content. Reading the nutrition label can help you determine if your beverage of choice has the amount of sugar you want. If a shopper is comparing two flavored sparkling drinks with different serving sizes, they can check the nutrition label to see whether the one labeled “natural” contains less added sugar.

Healthy and natural alternatives often aim to be environmentally friendly through ingredient sourcing and processing practices that differ from those of other products. However, sustainability may leave gaps in allergen accountability when companies source ingredients worldwide and process them in less controlled environments.

Healthy and natural may not be the best option for everyone. Your alternative soda choice may need to be tailored to your needs and allergies, more than others. Reading packaging information carefully can help you determine if your allergens are included, but so can distinguishing verified environmental information from marketing sustainability language.

Certifications may have more rigorous authentication processes compared to “natural” labels. Researching the differences may offer more information. Businesses and companies can also verify sustainability efforts and allergen-related processes, or note cross-contamination on labels, so consumers know whether a product contains items they cannot have.

Nutrition facts on food labels include information that may help you determine whether a healthy soda alternative fits your preferences. They inform users about total sugars and added sugars, which are two different types of sugar content.

Sugars and sustainability language are not the only items shoppers may need to consider. Allergen information can also be important to customers. Some sustainable sourcing and processing practices may not be thorough enough to avoid cross-contamination. Nutrition labels may include this information, but businesses must also accurately account for allergen contamination.

Marketing language may draw users to a product, but reading nutrition information and researching sustainability claims can help consumers understand what they are drinking.

What can consumers read to learn more about a product’s ingredients?

Consumers can read the nutrition facts on the food label to break down a product's contents and review the ingredient list.

How can consumers compare sugar content across beverages?

By comparing added sugars and serving sizes, consumers can better understand sugar content across multiple beverages.

Are naturally sweetened sodas always lower in sugar?

Since naturally sweetened sodas can still contain sugar, this may not be the case. Customers can read total sugars and added sugars on the food label to understand how much sugar is in the product.