Cold Stores says using stevia plant to cut sugar in soft drinks

Ceylon Cold Stores PLC (CCS), a subsidiary of the country’s largest conglomerate John Keells Holdings PLC, has begun to use a plant-based sweetener instead of sugar in some of its major soft drink products.

“(Launched) four major flavours reducing the sugar calories significantly with the introduction of a sweetener extract from the stevia plant, which has a zero calorie count,” the CCS annual report said. Orange Crush, Necto and Cream Soda were three of the popular CCS beverages noted to have the new sweetener, and were rewarded with an orange label under the Health Ministry’s new initiative to label all drinks according to the sugar count from less sugar as green, to red with high sugar counts.

The company added that two sugar-free lower-calorie ice cream products were also launched recently.

CCS said that a senior dietician was appointed as an advisor to the company on nutrition during the past financial year.