Non-alcoholic beverages

Last updated on 8-8-2025 by Laïla Boulbayem

Why do we study dietary patterns of the population?

What we eat and drink has a direct impact on our health and well-being. By studying dietary patterns in the population (What foods are eaten? At what frequency? By whom?), we can identify areas for improvement and make informed decisions to promote better diets. This knowledge helps address the risk of diet-related diseases and supports the development of healthy, sustainable food systems.
The current page is focused on general consumption of non-alcoholic beverages in the population. More information on the comparison of the habitual intake of non-alcoholic beverages with dietary guidelines can be found here (water) and here (sugar-sweetened beverages).

How do we study the consumption of non-alcoholic beverages?

The consumption of non-alcoholic beverages was assessed, overall and for different population groups, using data from two non-consecutive 24-hour dietary recalls. Trained interviewers recorded twice, on two non-consecutive days, all the foods and drinks that participants had consumed on the previous day using a specialised computer program (GloboDiet®).
The mean consumption of non-alcoholic beverages (in grams per day) was calculated using the average consumption, overall and by subcategories of non-alcoholic beverages, over the two recall days of each participant. Since mean distributions are skewed, data should be interpreted with caution.
In addition to the 24-hour recalls, participants (or parent in case of children) also completed a Food Frequency Questionnaire: they reported how often they consumed a specific food or food group in the last 12 months. On this page, we present the frequency of frequency of the consumption of non-alcoholic beverages using the following categories: “Never”, “less than once a week”, “1 time per week”, “2-4 times per week”, “5-6 times per week” and “once a day or more”.
The detailed methodology can be found here.

What is included in the group of “non-alcoholic beverages”?

The results obtained on the basis of data from the 24-hour recalls include the following beverages:
- Fruit and vegetable juices;
- Soft drinks, energy drinks and sport drinks (sugar-sweetened beverages and light beverages);
- Other non-alcoholic drinks such as non-alcoholic beer, wine, and mocktails;
- Coffee;
- Tea;
- Herbal tea;
- Chicory and other coffee substitutes;
- Water.
The food frequency questionnaire included the following drinks:
- Water (still or sparkling);
- Hot drinks such as coffee, tea, herbal tea, or chicory;
- Sugar-sweetened soft drinks such as Coke, Fanta, Ice Tea, etc.

KEY RESULTS

The mean daily consumption of non-alcoholic beverages is 1438 g per day

Water (927 g per day), coffee (203 g per day) and soft drinks, energy drinks and sport drinks (192 g per day) are the most consumed non-alcoholic beverages in the population

Soft drinks, energy drinks and sport drinks are the second most consumed non-alcoholic beverages among children (3-9 years), adolescents (10-17 years) and young adults (18-39 years), with a mean consumption of 92 g per day, 253 g per day, and 281 g per day, respectively

The mean consumption of soft drinks, energy drinks and sport drinks decreases with educational level, with 243 g per day in people with a low educational level, 165 g per day in people with medium educational level, to 113 g per day in people with a high educational level

23% of adolescents (10-17 years) and 18% of and young adults (18-39 years) consume sugar-sweetened soft drinks at least once a day, compared to 11% of children (3-9 years) and 5% of older adults (65 years and above)