Diet soda sales constitute a significant share of the total diet market sales – $21.78 billion in 2011. The latest data show that diet soft drink sales represented 30% of all soft drink sales–no change. The soda companies are working hard to develop zero or low-calorie natural sweeteners, but progress has been slow and consumers have turned to other beverages. Pressure from government agencies and cities such as New York, to cut down the consumption of sugary soft drinks, has not helped.
A recent Wall St. Journal article reported that the large beverage companies have been raising prices over the past 8 years, to keep sales growing, but lower volume consumption has outpaced the price rises. According to retail tracker SymphonyIRIGroup, total soft drink sales in dollar terms fell 2.5%, with volume dropping 1.8%. Symphony data do not include sales in restaurants, vending machines and other outlets. When taking these figures into account, industry analysts say that soft drink sales probably barley rose last year.