Social
Consumer Health
Policies and Our Approach
We believe that as a consumer-oriented company, it is important to support the pursuit of a balanced lifestyle both in body and mind. Our consumers have different needs and preferences at different life stages, and through our diverse business activities, the Suntory Group will support consumer wellness at each of those stages. By offering choice in products, services and experiences through our soft drinks, health foods and other businesses, as well as by innovating in relevant fields, we will support the wellbeing and balanced lifestyles of our consumers.
Health Policy
In addition to leveraging Japan-led research on and development of “natural and healthy” beverages, Suntory Beverage & Food addresses health and wellness concerns through beverages to allow consumers to make positive choices in pursuit of a natural, healthy, convenient and rich lifestyle.
Suntory Beverage & Food Limited Health Policy
- In order to satisfy the health needs of consumers worldwide, we will continue to expand our portfolio of products which satisfy your taste buds, body and mind, as well as provide services to contribute to healthy and positive lifestyles.
- We will perform research that contributes to the health of consumers and will develop more natural, healthy products for world by using the expertise we have cultivated in Japan over many years in developing beverages which are sugar-free, low-sugar, and fortified for better health.
- We will base labeling and communication on the guidelines from government agencies and industry groups in each country and region, and will endeavor to make it easier for consumers to select healthy beverages.
- We will contribute to solving global health issues through joint research with external specialized institutions and through other communication with various stakeholders.
Targets and Progress
Currently, sugar-free products such as unsweetened tea and water account for 60%*1 of the portfolio in Japan. In Europe, we have set a target to reduce sugar use across the entire product portfolio by 35% compared to 2015 levels by 2025. In Oceania, we have set a goal to make one-third of the beverages we sell low-sugar or sugar-free by 2030. We are also developing products with minimal use of artificial colorings and flavorings. In Europe, we have set a goal to eliminate artificial colorings and flavorings by 2025. Progress on initiatives in Europe is reported in Suntory Beverage & Food Europe Sustainability Report.
-
*1As of November 2023, based on volume
Our Initiatives
Expanding Our Lineup of Products that are Healthy for the Mind and Body
For decades, the expansion of the world beverage market has been largely driven by consumer demand especially for carbonated beverages, which contain large amounts of sugar. In recent years, there has been an accelerating shift in demand toward healthier and more natural beverages. Utilizing knowledge gained through many years of research in Japan regarding the development of low- and no-sugar beverages (such as tea and water), we are developing new beverages that are healthy for the mind and body.
In Vietnam and Thailand we released Tea+ Oolong Tea, an oolong tea with Oolong Tea Polymerized Polyphenols (OTPP) that reduce fat absorption and mitigate the raise of neutral fat in blood. These products have been received positively by customers.
One of the products we have released in Europe is MayTea, a low-sugar iced tea. MayTea comes in a variety of flavors and was developed using Suntory’s expertise and technologies in tea products. In addition to beverages, we also offer heath foods. Under the BRAND’s umbrella, we offer the much-loved Essence of Chicken supplement drink in Thailand and other Asian countries. Essence of Chicken is an all-natural extract made of fine quality chicken without artificial chemicals or preservatives.
Initiatives on Low-Sugar and Sugar-Free Products
We are developing products that contain amounts as minimal as possible of sugar, artificial coloring, and artificial flavoring.
In Europe, we have set a target to reduce the use of sugar in all our products by 35% by 2025 compared to 2015. We have already made progress toward this goal, and as the end of 2023, we have succeeded in reducing the amount of sugar used in our products by 26% compared to 2015.
We are also working to develop natural solutions that will increase value while preserving the uniqueness of our beverages. In 2023, we were able to achieve significant sugar reductions for Schweppes and Lucozade.
Alongside reducing sugar use, we are expanding our healthy product lines by actively investing in low-calorie brands.
In Oceania, we aim to increase the portion of our portfolio that is low- and no-sugar to 1/3 by 2030. As a roadmap for achieving this goal, our strategy involves 1) leveraging Suntory Group know-how to lower sugar content, 2) introducing greater choice through new products, and 3) continuing to develop small-volume sizes. By the end of 2022, we had moved to lower sugar content in our energy drinks, particularly for V, and one in six drinks we sold was already low- or no-sugar.
Developing Food for Specified Health Uses and Foods with Function Claims to Address Health Issues
To help address social issues such as the rise in lifestyle diseases like obesity and high blood pressure, we offer a variety of products in Japan known as Food for Specified Health Uses (FOSHU) with proven benefits backed by research. This lineup includes Kuro Oolong Tea OTPP, developed based on research showing oolong tea’s polymerized polyphenols have the effect of inhibiting fat absorption; Suntory Goma Mugicha (barley tea), suited for people with high blood pressure; Pepsi Special Zero, which inhibits fat absorption; and Tokucha (FOSHU Iyemon),the world’s first drink to clarify the lipolytic action of quercetin glucoside. The portfolio also includes a wide variety of other products such as Iyemon Plus, a functional claim beverage that can lower LDL cholesterol. While seeking to eliminate negative health impacts and contribute positively to our customers’ well-being, we also emphasize great taste, focusing on developing products to ensure that our products are both healthy and great-tasting.
Reducing Artificial Coloring and Flavors
We are focusing on developing products that use a minimal amount of artificial colorings and flavors.
In Europe, we have set a target to remove artificial colorings and flavors by 2025. Recipe changes in 2023 resulted in 86% of all our products being free of artificial colors. Additionally, 73% of our beverages use natural flavors, and in France, our product Oasis was renewed to a recipe which uses less sugar and only 100% natural ingredients.
Appropriate Information Disclosure
The Suntory Group strives to offer information related to safety and reliability to the customers in an appropriate and timely manner. We also indicate information on product labels, commercials, and ads in a way that is clear and avoid misunderstanding. Furthermore, the Suntory Group’s Code of Business Ethics stipulates that we must conduct responsible marketing as a corporate group that offers diverse products and services.
We promote the display of accurate product information in a way that is accessible and easily understood by consumers. In order to ensure the accuracy of product information, we collaborate with the related divisions in charge of development and production, and also confirm the compliancy and accuracy of disclosed information through our Quality Assurance Division.
In Japan, Suntory conducts thorough reviews of raw ingredients used in our products in order to display energy, carbohydrates, and sodium chloride (salt equivalent) as well as confirm the need for allergen labeling. We are sure to include not just the 8 items required by law to be shown on our labels, but the 20 items recommended to be displayed.
Suntory Beverage & Food Europe (SBFE) is a signatory to standards and guidelines for responsible marketing and labeling practices.
In Oceania, adapting the Health Star Rating* food labeling scheme for the customers to make choices on which product to choose.
-
*Health Star Rating System…A front-of-pack labeling system that ranks and labels packaged food's overall nutrition profile from half a star to five stars.
Responsible Marketing
SBFE takes the following initiatives for responsible marketing.
UNESDA
We are signatory to UNESDA’s* responsible marketing in schools program. In strict compliance with UNESDA guidelines, we do not sell or advertise soft drinks in primary schools. For lower secondary schools where sales are permitted, only sugar-free or low-calorie soft drinks are available, and only from unbranded vending machines without logos or commercial messages.
EU Code of Conduct on Responsible Food Business and Marketing Practices
We are a founding signatory to the 2021 EU Code of Conduct on Responsible Food Business and Marketing Practices. Through annual filings, we report on our progress regarding sustainability commitments, including our efforts to reduce sugar content.
Our commitments towards reformulation of our drinks, food waste reduction and the creation of sustainable packaging fully support the EU’s objective to place healthier products on the market and to support the transition towards a circular economy.
Marketing Code of Conduct
SBFE does not market directly to children under the age of 16 in any country where we sell our products. This restriction is in accordance with our own SBFE Responsible Code of Marketing and Communications, which was established in December 2023. We also implement initiatives in line with the policies of the countries and regions in which we operate.
Spain
As a member of the Association for the Self-Regulation of Commercial Communication (Autocontrol), we follow the association’s code of advertising practice for all our commercial communications.
UK
We created our own code of conduct for marketing, which includes a commitment not to directly market products categorized as high in fat, sugar and salt (HFSS) to consumers under the age of 16 (18 in Ireland).
France
We volunteered in 2009 to not communicate on screens or in magazines aimed specifically at children under the age of 12. Since 2013, our commitments go further because we prohibit all advertising in generalist programs where children constitute more than 35% of the audience.
In addition to providing clear nutritional labeling to help consumers make healthier choices, we have developed educational content on our website for reference portions based on recommendations from the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and the French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health & Safety (ANSES).
Oceania
Rules stipulate that children are not to be targeted with respect to products that contain a large amount sugar, such as carbonated beverages. Only water is sold directly to primary and intermediate schools in New Zealand. We are also a member of the Healthy Kids Industry Pledge in partnership with the New Zealand government.
-
*UNESDA = Union of EU (European Union) Soft Drinks Associations
Organic Product Initiatives
In Japan, Suntory Beverage & Food has released limited-edition products made exclusively from organic ingredients, including Craft Boss Special Soy and Milk Latte made with organic coffee beans and Craft Boss Tasty Sugar-Free Black Tea using organic tea leaves and organic lemon juice.
Proposal of Healthier Lifestyle
In accordance with our aim to be a company which promotes consumer well-being, we launched the "100 Year Life Project" in 2018 in Japan. This project supports consumers in their efforts to achieve healthy and positive lifestyles in line with their own goals. We also promote joint research with external experts, conduct research and development to strengthen our portfolio of beverages that address lifestyle diseases, and run programs to improve lifestyle habits.
In Europe, we published the Moving on Health and Wellbeing Report and are promoting various initiatives such as providing active lifestyle programs to approximately one million people, reducing the amount of sugar used in our major brands by half, engaging with employees to develop more effective health programs in the office, and promoting the physical and mental wellbeing of all employees in the workplace.