Coca-Cola has put up the price of its bottles of Coke by 20p, whilst reducing the size of the bottle from 1.75l to 1.5l.
The 500ml bottle of Coke has also gone up in price by 16p, now costing £1.25.
It has pointed to the sugar tax, which is due to come into force in April, as the main reason behind the price rise.
‘We have no plans to change the recipe of Coca-Cola Classic so it will be impacted by the Government’s soft drinks tax,’ a spokesperson for Coca-Cola European Partners, told the Independent.
Sugar tax
The sugar tax will add an extra 18p on drinks containing 5g of sugar or more per 100ml.
When it was introduced it was hoped that the tax would encourage drink manufacturers to reduce the sugar content in drinks, with many in the Government describing the move as ‘good news’ as some manufacturers started to change their recipes.
Despite the early changes, Coca-Cola, one of the largest worldwide manufacturers of sugary drinks, has decided to maintain the sugar content in its drinks and instead pass the cost of the sugar tax over to consumers.
‘Every year, more than 40,000 children have decayed teeth removed under general anaesthetic, this is heart-breaking,’ Helen Minnery, BSDHT president told fmc-stage.thinkdemo.co.uk last year, when manufacturers appeared to be reducing the sugar content in their drinks.
‘It is clear that food and drink manufacturers who produce sugar-filled products have a responsibility to protect their customers and the prospect of a “sugar tax” has finally resulted in them making the necessary changes to address this responsibly.
‘We hope that it continues and makes real difference to the state of the UK’s oral health.
‘We are optimistic that the actions made by manufactures can result in less people entering dental practices, as well as A&E departments, with shocking levels of sugar-related problems.’
