The Australian Beverages Council announced 80% of the (non-alcoholic) beverage industry including the big players Coca-Cola and Pepsi have signed up to their agreement to cut sugar in drinks by 20% between now and 2025.

The initiative is divided into two stages: reduce 10% by 2020 and another 10% by 2025. This builds on the reductions that have already occurred and will add to the growth of low and no-sugar drinks.

The program will be evaluated by comparing 2015 data (as baseline) with 2025 data and it will be evaluated by an independent auditor. The variable being measured is the average sugar content per 100ml across the non-alcoholic beverage category and includes soft drinks, energy drinks, bottled water, iced tea and flavoured milks.