27 Aug 2014 US: Plant waters get ever-more trendy as soda sales stall

Soda and non-fresh juice sales are flat or slipping, but plant-based products like coconut water – along with other alternative beverages such as kombucha and tea-based drinks – are growing, particularly those sold alongside fruits and veggies, according to data compiled by market research firm Nielsen.

“The one area of the store where we are just seeing phenomenal growth is the produce department,” says Sherry Frey, health and wellness expert for Nielsen.

Introduced several years ago, coconut water has been big for a while.

Maple water is a newer entry and is essentially maple sap, the stuff that normally is boiled down to syrup. Brands include Vertical Water and SEVA. And that’s not the only tree water on the market. There’s also birch water and, on the plant side, cactus, barley and artichoke waters.

Sales of all waters, including the new products, “fitness” and enhanced waters, as well as regular sparkling and still, grew 4 percent by value and nearly 7 percent by volume since July 2013.

Coconut water is not yet being tracked specifically, but totals for beverages in the produce department, which is where much coconut water is sold, showed double-digit growth. The value jump for all produce section beverages – which includes smoothies, fresh juices and teas as well as water – was nearly 13 percent.

Why the sudden thirst? Nutrition expert and registered dietitian Tina Ruggiero sees it as a trend driven by the beverage industry’s desire to find the next big thing, as well as consumers’ interest in finding natural alternatives to soda.

“This natural beverage market just presents a tremendous opportunity,” she says. “There is a fight to create the next best-selling natural water.”

Source: http://www.nydailynews.com