Irn-Bru has been forced to respond to social media storm with week after it was revealed that the soft drink brand was changing its recipe, with the sugar content halved and artificial sweeteners added.
When the move was announced, social media went into a frenzy with some fans even stocking up before the new version hits shelves this month.
Lover of the soft drink, Ryan Allen described it as a “national treasure” and is behind a petition urging bosses to reverse the decision.
Bosses at maker AG Barr have moved to reassure fans that the sugary drink “isn’t changing”.
In order to quell the criticism over the decision, the company’s statement read: “We know a lot of people are concerned right now about the changes to Irn-Bru. We understand but we want to reassure you of a few things. Irn-Bru will still be made with the same secret flavour essence as it’s always been.”
“So it’ll have its unique taste. This isn’t changing and it never will. Irn-Bru will still be a sugary drink. We’re reducing the sugar, not losing it all together. There will still be about 4 teaspoons of sugar in a can.”
An AG Barr spokesman told the Scotsman: “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 to consume less sugar 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. Most shoppers can expect to buy Irn-Bru with reduced sugar from later this month. Give it a try when it comes out.”
A message to our fans. And some much-needed facts about BRU. pic.twitter.com/53VqTUSalt
— IRN-BRU (@irnbru) January 5, 2018
Irn-bru is the most popular soft drink in Scotland, the country of its birth, and the third best selling in the UK.
The new flavour will appear on shelves from this month.