Recipe to beat sugar tax leaves fans fizzing

IT WAS designed to tackle childhood obesity – but now the sugar tax has left a bad taste in the mouths of some middle-class shoppers.

Fans of San Pellegrino’s upmarket range of fizzy drinks have been left devastated after owners Nestlé changed their recipes to avoid the levy.

The drinks – which cost 90p each in some shops, compared with 70p for a Diet Coke – would have become more expensive under the tax, which adds up to 24p per litre depending on sugar content.

Instead, Nestlé reduced sugar levels in five of its six flavours and now uses a plant-based sweetener. The stevia plant has leaves which are 30 times sweeter than sugar and does not add any calories. Unlike sugar, it is not broken down during digestion into glucose, fructose and galactose.

Five of the six drinks in the Italian-inspired San Pellegrino range have had sugar levels slashed: Aranciata (sparkling orange), pictured; Aranciata Rossa (made with blood oranges); Limonata (lemon); Melograno e Arancia (pomegranate and orange); and Pompelmo (grapefruit).

The sixth flavour, Limone e Menta (lemon and mint), already contained only 4.5g of sugar per 100ml, leaving it exempt from the sugar tax.

The new recipes have removed an average of 40 per cent of the drinks’ sugar. Nestlé claimed the changes would not compromise taste – but a mounting backlash suggests devotees disagree.

Dozens of San Pellegrino drinkers vented their frustrations online and called for a return to the old formulas. One wrote: ‘San Pellegrino seem to have adapted to the sugar tax by adding stevia, with the result they now taste like nasty diet drinks, while still having sugar. Sad choice.’

Another said they would be happy to pay more for the original recipe, writing: ‘We know San Pellegrino is expensive – we can accept the extra 10p from the sugar tax.’

Some blamed Jamie Oliver, saying it was his fault the drinks now taste ‘vile’ after he backed the sugar tax, which came into effect in April.

The outcry follows similar complaints about rejigged recipes for Lucozade and Irn-Bru, which have also had their sugar content slashed.

Nestlé said: ‘Any product reformulation undergoes extensive testing and research. We carried out taste tests of the new San Pellegrino formulas with consumers, achieving very positive results before launching the range earlier this year. We are closely monitoring online reviews and comments.’