Alice Diepenbrock, research manager at Euromonitor, said the market research firm predicts global soft drinks growth of between 1.5 and 2 per cent in 2009 and 2010, compared to an earlier estimate of over 3 per cent.
In this context, Diepenbrock said Africa, with its large potential consumer base, and the Middle East, with its oil fueled purchasing power, are the regions to watch.
Egypt was mentioned as the fastest growing soft drinks market in the world and Diepenbrock expects it to retain a leadership position.
As well as discussing the potential of such countries, the research manager also discussed risks and the extent of trend overlap between developed and emerging markets.