Information on the salt, sugar and fat content of all soft drinks is to be provided under new health labelling on bottles and tins to be introduced in the coming months.
The main soft drinks manufacturers and bottlers have agreed to provide information on percentage "guideline daily amounts" (GDA) of salt, sugar, fat and saturated fats on all their products, The Irish Times understands. The calorie content of drinks will also be more prominently displayed.
However, the sector is opposed to the introduction of the rival "traffic light" scheme which colour-codes the nutritional value of foods using green, orange and red indicators.
The decision by the Beverage Council of Ireland reflects a wider move by many manufacturers to introduce GDA labelling in response to consumer demands for more information about the health effects of food and drink products. A minority has moved to the traffic light system, though all codes remain voluntary for the time being.
Supporters of the traffic light scheme say it provides easy-to-understand information for shoppers about the nutritional content of foods. Detractors say it is over-simplistic and would lead to foods normally considered healthy being "red-lighted".
Over-consumption of soft drinks has been linked to a variety of health problems, including obesity, diabetes and tooth decay.
Bernard Murphy, director of the BCI, said the decision to phase in GDA labelling in the coming months reflected an "open, upfront and honest" approach by the industry. "The consumer will have the information available to make informed choices."
Mr Murphy said there was "no chance" the soft drinks industry would favour a traffic light system, which has been backed by Fine Gael and Labour but opposed by Minister for Agriculture Mary Coughlan.
Per capita sales of soft drinks are in decline as demand for healthier rivals such as bottled water increases. Irish people consume about 100 litres of soft drinks each year and 40 litres of bottled water.
However, volume sales are still increasing and Irish consumption of soft drinks is third-highest in Europe.
The BCI, whose members' sales top €500 million annually, believes the introduction of health labelling will not adversely affect sales, apart from accelerating the trend towards diet-type drinks and away from their sugary rivals.
