Backlash as recipe of one of Corby's favourite drinks set to change

Irn-Bru, the biggest selling soft drink in Scotland and hugely popular with Corby’s Scottish population, will see its sugar content cut by about 50 per cent later this month.

Instead of using high amounts of sugar, makers AG Barr will blend the drink with a mix of low-calorie sweeteners including aspartame, already used in thousands of other products.

But it has not proved popular, with a petition against the changes already set up and some people ‘stockpiling’ the current drink.

Corby residents have also hit out at the changes on Facebook group ‘Corby Chats Back’.

Joanne Flecknell said: “Well that’s going to taste rank! Aspartame is not for me.”

David Clements said: “Poor choice from Barr in choosing aspartame! Stuff should be made illegal.”

And Beth Edwards said: “I will definitely be stockpiling then. I always take some in my case on holiday in case I can’t buy any at my destination.”

The move means that Irn-Bru’s sugar content will fall from 10.3g per 100ml to just 4.7g, making it officially under the 5g level at which the new sugar tax takes effect.

Despite the change, there will still be four teaspoons of sugar in a regular 330ml can of the drink, although this is significantly less than the 8.5 teaspoons found in the old version.

AG Barr said bottles and cans featuring both the old and new recipes may appear on shelves together “for a time”, urging fans of the drink to remember to check the label.

An AG Barr spokesman said: “From January 2018 Irn-Bru will continue to be made using the same secret Irn-Bru flavour essence, but with less sugar.

“The vast majority of our drinkers want less sugar in their Irn-Bru so that’s what we’re now offering.

“We know that our loyal drinkers love Irn-Bru for its unique great taste and we’ve worked hard to deliver this.

“We ran lots of taste tests that showed most people can’t tell the difference – nine out of 10 regular Irn-Bru drinkers told us we had a good or excellent taste match.”

Irn Bru, which was first launched in 1901, has long been Scotland’s most popular soft drink, outselling global brands including Coca-Cola.

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