Dragon Soop Blue Raspberry Caffeinated Alcoholic Beverage (8 x 500ml Cans)

Product Information

A repeat drink-driver pulled over an hour after downing a can of Dragon Soop has been banned from the road for three years. NIADA continue to have concerns over the promotion of caffeinated alcoholic drinks particularly for younger users where the risk of the caffeine masking the effects of the alcohol may lead to increased health harms and disinhibited risky behaviours.” A factual statement that a product contains a particular ingredient, for example high caffeine content, is unlikely in itself to be problematic under the Code.” In the complaint headed paragraph ‘strength’, the company stated that NIADA had cited an unsubstantiated figure to make a subjective and misleading statement where it read “One day of drinking 3 and a half cans exceeds this limit for adults.” The company said that the statement did not withstand rigorous scrutiny. The company explained that the same assertion could be used for any alcoholic drink which was abused by people with alcohol or substance abuse difficulties. The company highlighted that NIADA had not presented any evidence that people abused Dragon Soop more than they would abuse vodka, cider, wine or any other alcoholic beverage. The company stated that this information could not be relied upon, nor was indicative of the wider market, since the participants in the sample group were unable to limit their intake of alcohol. The company stated that NIADA could not claim to have knowledge of what ‘most young people’ did, as its day-to-day work and research was conducted with a very specific group of young people, all of whom had serious alcohol or substance abuse issues. The company explained that this research group could not in any way be seen to be representative of the population as a whole. The company argued that any extrapolations about the behaviour and attitudes of the wider population based on research carried out solely with this group would be skewed, misleading and far from impartial.

The company explained that in 2015, Dragon Soop was fully investigated by the Independent Complaints Panel (Panel) under Code rules 3.2(f) and 3.2(h) which it found to not be in breach. The company highlighted that it had received a letter from the Chair of the Panel that there had not been any breach of the Code and that the decision was final. Light - Have a job that involves long periods of sitting (office-based / driving) or are home-based and sitting for much of the day. Typical jobs: office worker, sales rep, bus/taxi/lorry driver. Offshore Island deliveries will take longer than two days including Channel Islands, Isle of Man, Scottish Highlands and Islands and Scilly Isles. At a hearing last month, Calder-Hamilton pled guilty to driving on Mile End Avenue in Aberdeen with 49 microgrammes of alcohol in 100ml of breath on September 20.

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With regard to the research submitted by NIADA in support of its complaint, the company noted from previous Panel rulings the stringent standards that the Panel required when research was accepted. The company stated that it was confident that the Panel would agree that NIADA’s research did not meet these standards. So what exactly is it ? It’s the latest in the range of novelty caffeinated alcohol beverages. It’s 8% ABV and contains high levels of caffeine (35mg per 100ml) and loads of sugar! Oh, it’s also blended with taurine and guarana to make it sound good for you. It’s difficult to argue that the eye-catching graphics and clever branding are not targeted for teenagers. Basically an ‘energy drink’ laced with booze. Alcohol brings harm to a bigger population of young people. And novelty branded drinks such as Dragon Soop are accessible and increasing in popularity. Under 18s have little trouble getting hold of their favourite Lemon Sherbet or Red Kola from that older pal who can legally buy it in the local corner shop. My message is clear when I’m supporting young people: Dragon Soop isn’t a safe drink for teenagers, and they are best to avoid it. I explain the science when I can, such as possible side effects on heart function and the impact on the still-developing brain, or I discuss things like risk of alcohol poisoning and drinking limits. The company concluded by stating that it was important as a self-regulatory body that the Portman Group continued to be seen by all its members as demonstrably fair and transparent. The company noted that the Portman Group was obliged to proceed against a member company or Code Signatory every time a company was accused of a breach of the rules; regardless of who had made the complaint or however credible the complaint was. The company also explained that the Portman Group proceeded with breach procedure, even if the company had previously been cleared of breaching those rules. The company stated that the Panel’s decisions had far reaching consequences, which could potentially lead to a Retailer Alert Bulletin which resulted in the removal of a brand from all retail shelves.

At NIADA we have serious concerns about these high caffeinated and alcoholic drinks, especially Dragon Soop, as so many young people are consuming this drink usually in large quantities. Our focus group concluded that while young people drink the cans, they also mix them with other substances. One 16-year-old female reported ‘they are sweet and fruity flavours they can be mixed with vodka’. The Panel then considered the company’s claim that snakes were not aggressive animals. The Panel noted that the company had provided images of various brands which featured snakes and agreed that snakes were not always aggressive, but that the snake depicted on Dragon Soop Venom was in a clear striking pose with fangs bared. The Panel therefore remained of the view, that in this particular context, the snake depicted was aggressive. The Panel also considered that in comparison to other products from the Dragon Soop range, which the Panel had previously considered and not upheld under any section of the Code, Dragon Soop Venom had a different appearance. The Panel considered that, as pointed out by the company, the other products in the Dragon Soop range also included the flavour variant multiple times around the top of the can. However, the Panel considered that this presentation of the word ‘venom’, alongside the aggressive snake with its fangs bared, created an association with bravado.Inactive - Do very little exercise, going for the occasional walk (moderate pace, low intensity). Spend majority of leisure time doing activities such as watching TV, playing computer games, on the internet, reading, cooking, driving, general household chores.

The Panel considered the name Venom would be recognised by the majority of UK consumers to mean ‘poison’ in its day-to-day usage and noted this in the context of a beverage which had a relatively high alcohol and caffeine content. The company then examined the second paragraph under the heading entitled ‘strength’ which stated that “the high caffeine intake along with the high alcohol intake masks the effect of drunkenness”, which the company stated NIADA had not provided proof of. The company stated that the formulation did not break any of the Portman Group’s rules and that the Portman Group must agree with this because according to an SHS Drinks’ press statement, the Advisory Service had been consulted by the company prior to the launch of WKD X, which was a drink that closely mirrored Dragon Soop, and was destined for major grocery outlets in May 2022. Callum Calder-Hamilton was given a 20-month roads ban in March last year after committing a previous drink-driving offence. Alison Douglas, chief executive of Alcohol Focus Scotland, said the flavours were “reminiscent of a sweet shop”.Each can of Dragon Soop has caffeine equivalent to more than two shots of espresso and four units of alcohol

The company also provided examples of the use of snake imagery for a diverse range of other products, including cars and other alcohol brands. Firstly, the company highlighted that NIADA had stated that it wished to submit “a complaint about caffeinated alcoholic drinks”, but that the organisation had only singled out Dragon Soop from a group of other caffeinated alcoholic drinks. The company stated that the organisation had done this based on the unscientific basis that Dragon Soop is what NIADA called “the more popular drink of choice.” READ MORE: How long alcohol takes to leave your body as experts warn against Christmas drink driving Heavy - Active for much of the day, walking non-stop and carrying objects. Typical jobs: hospital/ward nurse, waitressing in a busy restaurant, cleaner, porter, labourer/construction worker, gardener, farm worker. Leisure Activity Level In conclusion for this section of the producer’s formal response, the company explained that NIADA had incorrectly stated that Dragon Soop ‘breaches numerous codes of conduct.’ The company stated that this was unfounded and noted that no evidence or detail was presented by NIADA to support this misleading statement.The company noted that there were specific cues which had been defined by the Panel as possibly having a particular appeal to under-18s. ‘Bright, high contrast colours’ were an example and the company highlighted that many alcoholic brands featured colour schemes which could be described in this way. In contrast, the company explained that Dragon Soop was specifically designed not to be garish or particularly bright and that the different colours used throughout the range were to denote the various flavours within the range, as was common practice for flavoured alcoholic beverages. The company explained that at the time the complaint was made, Dragon Soop had 13 flavours, not 12 as stated by the complainant in the first paragraph under the header “Appeal to under 18s.” The company stated that at the time of its formal submission to the complaint, Dragon Soop now had 14 flavours. The Panel then discussed the word ‘venom’ and whether it had any other well-known connotations or meanings. The Panel noted that the company had provided a definition from Urban Dictionary that stated that the word was used by younger people to mean ‘cool’ or attention grabbing. The Panel discussed this online interpretation and considered that, while a minority demographic of the UK population may use the word to mean ‘cool’, the majority of UK consumers would recognise the word to mean ‘poison’ in its day-to-day usage. In addition to this, the Panel also considered it was unlikely that the company intended ‘venom’ to mean cool in the context of the product, particularly when viewed alongside the snake imagery. The company then explained that since Dragon Soop had been launched in 2010 there had only been three complaints in the intervening 12 years (the complaint from 2015 which was considered against Dragon Soop Strawberry and Lime, which was found not to be in breach of the Code, and the other two which were currently subject to investigation.) The company stated that this was a remarkably low figure for a brand that sold 13.6 million cans per year. Sour Apple, Blue Raspberry, Lemon Sherbet, Red Kola, Tropical Fruit Punch and New Venom. Sound refreshing? These are just some flavours of Dragon Soop. And what a cool name!