The move is in a bid to enable drinkers to find ingredients and the calorie content of drinks and is part of Heineken’s aim to lead a more sustainable cider category.
The beer and cider maker, which owns brands including Bulmers, Strongbow and Old Mout, is also looking to reduce sugar through natural techniques without adding artificial sweeteners.
Its Bulmers Original cider relaunched with a new recipe, which included 100% British apples from Herefordshire, is free from artificial flavourings, colours and sweeteners, Heineken claimed.
Reducing sugar
The recipe has 30% less sugar than before and is suitable for vegans. The move comes at a time when 93% of Brits (according to Kantar Worldpanel) revealed they wanted to reduce the amount of sugar they consume. However, the same research also found almost half (46%) of consumers believe artificial sweeteners are no better.
Heineken UK marketing director Cindy Tervoort said: “We know UK consumers are thinking about what they consume and where it has come from.
“We have already made the changes on our beers and now our entire range of ciders will give consumers calorie and ingredient information to help them make informed choices. We hope this move will inspire the rest of the cider industry to follow.
“We are incredibly proud of the new and improved Bulmers apple cider. The new recipe champions Bulmers’ rich British heritage.
“By expanding our orchard range with variants such as Hastings and Amanda apples, Bulmers cider now has a natural, authentic sweetness that new and existing consumers have shown great enthusiasm for and all with 30% less sugar.”
Ingredients labelling
Similarly, spirits brand Pernod Ricard announced it would be displaying ingredients and energy values on its products this month (June) after the manufacturer signed a Europe-wide memorandum of understanding (MoU).
Producers that sign up to the MoU will commit to on-pack ingredients labelling and energy values as well as detailed product-specific information online, making it easier for consumers to see what is in their drinks.
The voluntary MoU was facilitated by the European Commission and has been discussed by Government and manufacturers since before March 2018.
According to EU predictions, ingredients and calorie information will be labelled on a quarter of spirits bottles on the EU market by 2020, rising to 50% in 2021 and 66% by 2022, Pernod Ricard said in a statement.
