Popular South African drink under fire over calorie claim

South Side Hard Soda, a division of WV Squared, has been on the wrong side of an Advertising Regulatory Board (ARB) ruling due to its calorie claim.

South Side Hard Soda states that its 440-millilitre can of Spirit Cooler is low in carbs and sugar, with only 72 calories.

“It brings the tropical taste of passionfruit to life with sparkling spring water and 5% premium vodka. Low in carbs, low in sugar, and just 72 calories,” it states.

A consumer lodged a complaint with the Advertising Regulatory Board, stating that he consciously monitors his caloric intake.

“I was surprised to see that this alcoholic beverage claims to only contain 72 Calories per 440ml can,” he said.

The complainant alleged that a 440 ml beverage containing 5% alcohol cannot realistically have so few calories.

In turn, he argued that South Side Hard Soda is misleading customers about the calories in its beverages.

The argument is simple. Pure alcohol contains about 7 calories per gram, making it almost as energy-dense as fat.

A 440 ml beverage containing 5% alcohol, which is the case with South Side Hard Soda, contains 22 millilitres of pure alcohol.

Because alcohol is less dense than water, with pure ethanol having a density of about 0.789 g/mL, this corresponds to 17.37 grams of alcohol.

Multiplying the mass in grams by 7 calories per gram gives 121.5 calories for the alcohol alone, more than the 72 calories claimed by the company.

The ARB said that South Side Hard Soda contacted it by telephone and indicated that the claim should be worded differently.

“However, it did not submit a formal response as requested,” the Advertising Regulatory Board said in its ruling.

The ARB said that the combined alcohol and sugar content in the South Side Hard Soda drink contains approximately 133.5 calories.

This is significantly higher than the 72 calories claimed on the South Side Hard Soda website and the Spirit Cooler can.

The ARB noted that South Side Hard Soda amended its website claim to only refer to “72” under the heading “Low Calorie”, as opposed to “Only 72 Calories per 440ml can”.

It said that this amendment does not have a substantial impact, as it still creates an impression that each can contains 72 calories.

As such, the Advertising Regulatory Board found that the claim is unsubstantiated and breaches the advertising code.

“ARB members are advised not to accept any advertising claiming 72 calories per can. For packaging, the advertiser has 3 months to remove or amend the claim,” it said.

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South Side Hard Soda images

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