Every child knows that cola is not one of the healthiest foods. But in addition to the high sugar content, the Stiftung Warentest also found residues of cleaning agents and disinfectants in some samples. Only four colas were rated “good”. EAT SMARTER has the test winner and the loser.
Cola in the test
In its current issue, Stiftung Warentest examined a total of 30 caffeinated drinks from classic to sugar-free: including 29 colas and a cola imitation from Dr. Pepper. Nineteen products were sweetened with sugar, eight more were sugar-free with sweeteners included, and three other soft drinks were sweetened with sugar and sweeteners such as sweeteners. Two organic products were included in the test as an example.
In addition to established branded products, discounter goods were also examined more closely with regard to their sugar content and their declaration, and tested sensory and chemically. The test verdict: Only 4 colas were rated “good”, and the majority received the grade “satisfactory”. For five colas, it was only enough for the rating “sufficient” and two drinks failed completely with the grade “poor”.
The test winner & the loser
These are the top 4 colas in the test. All received the test results “good”:
- Coca-Cola Light for 70 cents per liter
- Coca-Cola Zero for 66 cents per liter
- Freeway Cola Light from Lidl for 26 cents per liter
- River Cola from Aldi Nord for 26 cents per liter
The big loser in the Cola test is Pepsi Light: Due to a very high level of chlorate exposure, the product was only rated “poor”. As the Stiftung Warentest reports, the chlorate found could come from cleaning agents and disinfectants. Chlorate was also detected in other colas in this test but in significantly lower amounts.
