(P07-49-26) Nutritional Profile of Prebiotic Sodas Compared With Other Beverages in the U.S. Food Supply: A Secondary Analysis of Mintel GNPD, 2021–2025

Objectives: Prebiotic sodas are an emerging category of carbonated beverages with added fiber and marketed as healthier alternatives to sugary beverages. This study characterized the nutritional profile of prebiotic sodas and compared them with other beverages in the US food supply.

Methods: This study was a cross-sectional analysis of product-level data from the Mintel Global New Products Database (GNPD) including 3,709 non-alcoholic ready-to-drink beverages launched in the US between 2021 and 2025. Prebiotic sodas (n=108) were defined as carbonated beverages containing fiber and identified if the term “prebiotic” appeared in the product name, package claims, or ingredient lists indicating fiber (e.g., inulin). Beverages not considered direct alternatives to prebiotic sodas (e.g., sports drinks) were excluded. Comparator beverages included regular sodas, diet sodas, fruit drinks, and flavored sparkling waters. Nutrient composition (kcal, carbohydrates, sugars, added sugars, fiber per 100 mL) and the presence of NNS were assessed. Medians and interquartile ranges (25th–75th percentile) were calculated, and differences evaluated using Wilcoxon rank-sum and chi-square tests.

Results: Prebiotic sodas (n=108) had a median of 9.9 kcal (8.5–12.7), 3.1g carbohydrate (2.0–4.2), 1.4g total sugars (1.1–1.5), 1.0g added sugars (0.6–1.1), and 1.4g fiber (0.8–2.0) per 100 mL. Compared with regular sodas and fruit drinks, prebiotic sodas had lower calories, total sugars, and added sugars, and higher fiber (all p< 0.001). Compared with diet sodas and flavored sparkling waters, prebiotic sodas had higher fiber but also higher calories and total sugars (all p< 0.001). NNS were present in 64.8% of prebiotic sodas, lower than diet sodas (91.9%) but higher than fruit drinks (27.5%), flavored sparkling waters (15.8%), and regular sodas (11.5%) (all p< 0.001).

Conclusions: Prebiotic sodas had lower calories and sugars than regular sodas and fruit drinks but higher calories and sugars than diet sodas and flavored sparkling waters, frequently contained NNS, and had higher fiber than all other beverage categories. Findings show importance of evaluating the nutritional profile of beverages marketed as healthier alternatives. Future studies should examine their marketing, consumer perceptions, and role in dietary patterns.

Funding Sources: NIH T32 and Bloomberg Philanthropies