Global Food Field Guide

What's in a Sprite Around the World?

The same green bottle, but a very different drink inside. Sprite's sweetener and sugar level swing wildly by country — from full high-fructose corn syrup in the USA to a stevia-blend, half-sugar recipe in the UK.

Verified June 2026 • Read the wrapper for the final word — recipes change

● Listed explicitly on the label ● Present but grouped under a generic term × Not listed ? Not documented in reviewed sources

Swipe the table sideways to see every column →

Ingredient	🇺🇸 USA	🇲🇽 Mexico	🇬🇧 UK & Ireland	🇩🇪 Germany	🇮🇳 India	🇦🇺 Australia	🇯🇵 Japan
Shared base
Carbonated water	●	●	●	●	●	●	●
No caffeine	●	●	●	●	●	●	●
No added colour (clear soda)	●	●	●	●	●	●	●
Sweeteners — the big difference
High-fructose corn syrup	●	×	×	×	×	×	●
Sugar / sucrose	×	●	●	●	●	●	×
Steviol glycosides (stevia)	×	●	×	×	×	×	●
Sucralose	×	×	×	×	×	×	●
Acesulfame-K	×	×	●	×	×	●	×
Aspartame	×	×	●	×	×	●	×
Acids & preservatives
Citric acid	●	●	●	●	●	●	●
Tartaric acid	×	×	●	●	×	●	×
Sodium citrate (acidity regulator)	●	×	●	●	●	●	×
Sodium benzoate (preservative)	●	●	×	×	●	●	×
Antioxidant (vitamin C)	×	×	×	×	×	×	●
Flavour
Natural lemon & lime flavourings	●	●	●	●	●	●	●

So which is the least healthy?

Sugar in a Sprite varies more than you'd expect. On a level 330ml basis, India and the USA pour the most sugar — India still runs a full-sugar recipe (~11.7g/100ml) and the USA uses high-fructose corn syrup (~10.7g/100ml). The big twist: unlike classic Coke, Sprite was reformulated to cut sugar in several markets. The UK & Ireland (post-2018 sugar tax) blends sugar with acesulfame-K and aspartame for just 4.4g sugar/100ml, and Mexico now adds stevia to drop to 5g/100ml.

Sugar per 330ml can

🇮🇳 India

38.6 g Most sugar

🇺🇸 USA

35.3 g

🇯🇵 Japan

26.4 g

🇩🇪 Germany

26.1 g

🇦🇺 Australia

22.8 g

🇲🇽 Mexico

16.5 g

🇬🇧 UK & Ireland

14.5 g Least sugar

Sugar per 100ml

🇮🇳 India

11.7 g Most sugar

🇺🇸 USA

10.7 g

🇯🇵 Japan

8.0 g

🇩🇪 Germany

7.9 g

🇦🇺 Australia

6.9 g

🇲🇽 Mexico

5.0 g

🇬🇧 UK & Ireland

4.4 g Least sugar

Per 100ml, UK & Ireland Sprite (4.4g sugar) carries well under half the sugar of Indian Sprite (11.7g) — the difference is sweetener strategy, not serving size.Standardised to a 330ml can, the UK recipe saves you roughly 24g of sugar (about 6 teaspoons) versus the Indian one.

On sugar alone, Indian Sprite is the least healthy, edging out the HFCS-sweetened American version — both deliver around 35–39g of sugar per 330ml. The UK & Ireland recipe is the lightest by far, thanks to a low-sugar reformulation that leans on artificial sweeteners.

USA vs Mexico — corn syrup vs the rest

American Sprite is sweetened with high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS 55). Mexican Sprite historically used cane sugar and now also adds stevia to cut sugar to ~5g/100ml. Japan is the other HFCS market, but blends it with sucralose and stevia.

The sugar-tax reformulation

Unlike classic Coca-Cola (which kept its full-sugar recipe and let the tax raise the price), Sprite was reformulated. After the UK's 2018 Soft Drinks Industry Levy, UK & Ireland Sprite was cut to ~4.4g sugar/100ml using sugar plus acesulfame-K and aspartame.

No caffeine, no colour, anywhere

In every market Sprite is a clear, caffeine-free lemon-lime soda — there are no colour additives and no caffeine in any regional version.

Labels, sources & dates

Figures are drawn from official Coca-Cola regional sites, Open Food Facts and major retailers. Local can sizes differ (USA 355ml, India 300ml, Australia 375ml, Japan 350/500ml, UK/Germany/Mexico 330–355ml); all sugar-per-330ml figures are standardised from per-100ml values. Recipes change — data current as of June 2026.

Sources

Ingredient formulations, allergen statements and product sizes change over time and between manufacturing facilities. This infographic reflects published lists reviewed in June 2026 and is for general interest only. For allergy, dietary or regulatory decisions, always read the wrapper of the specific product in your hand.