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

Product Information

The 25-year-old completed a drink-drivers’ rehabilitation course and saw his ban reduced – but it seems it hadn’t taught him about the dangers of getting behind the wheel after consuming the high-alcohol energy drink. ‘He thought it would have been out of his system’ In summary of the above, the Panel concluded that Dragon Soop Venom did breach Code rule 3.2(b), but did not breach Code rules 3.1, 3.2(a), 3.2(f), 3.2(h),3.2(j) or any other part of the Code. Action by company:

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 Dragon Soop Venom was responsibly marketed, well understood by its target market and that ‘venom’ was a known flavour to its young adult target market. The company asserted that the Panel’s provisional decision was subjective and based on mistaken assumptions. 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. A complaint against the alcoholic drink flavour Venom has been upheld for meaning 'poison' to UK customers, and for its appeal to bravado required to drink it. It may be necessary to inform consumers that a product contains certain ingredients, for example high caffeine content, but this must be done in a factual and ‘non emotive’ way.”The high strength content encourages binge and excessive drinking and leads to irresponsible behaviour as most young people drink more than one can breaching the anti-social behaviour code of conduct. The high caffeine intake along with the high alcohol content masks the effects of drunkenness. Hence, young people don’t realise how intoxicated they are, which can lead to becoming unwell and engaging in risky behaviours. Each can of Dragon Soop has caffeine equivalent to more than two shots of espresso and four units of alcohol

Fortified with schnapps, it comes in flavours including fruit punch, sour apple, blue raspberry, sherbet, cola, and ­strawberry and lime. 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. Offshore Island deliveries will take longer than two days including Channel Islands, Isle of Man, Scottish Highlands and Islands and Scilly Isles. 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. When considering all these elements in combination, the Panel concluded that the name venom, in this particular context, and its presentation, in combination with the aggressive snake imagery, gave the overall impression that the product was marketed mainly on the danger associated with venom, and therefore required bravado to drink it.Moderate - On your feet for much of the day, either standing or occasional slow paced walking. Typical jobs: shop assistant, teacher, chef/cook, bar worker, engineer. 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. One can of Dragon Soop contains 175mg of caffeine – more than the 150mg found in a double espresso from a coffee shop. 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 agreed that four participants in the focus group had provided quotes that demonstrated they used Dragon Soop irresponsibly, and for one participant, immoderately. However, the company stated that the participants in this focus group were young people with known alcohol abuse problems and so whichever alcoholic drink they chose, it would be likely that they would consume it irresponsibly and immoderately. The company stated that whilst their responses were wholly regrettable, they were not surprising and could not be admissible because they constituted a skewed unrepresentative sample. The company explained that if NIADA had put together a similar small sample group of its clients who preferred other types of alcohol such as rum, vodka or cider, and were then asked about their abuse of that drink, they would likely give similar answers. A repeat drink-driver pulled over an hour after downing a can of Dragon Soop has been banned from the road for three years. 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 also provided examples of the use of snake imagery for a diverse range of other products, including cars and other alcohol brands.The company then stated that its support of the Portman Group’s Code had been demonstrated by its history of cooperating with the Portman Group over many years. Concerns have been raised over Dragon Soop – a potent mix of alcohol and caffeine being downed by Scots teens – which can create “wired, wide-awake drunks”.

The company stated that it had respect for the work of specialist organisations like the Northern Ireland Alcohol and Drugs Alliance (NIADA) and supported the work it did to aid and educate the often vulnerable, under-privileged young people who were addicted to immoderate and dangerous behaviour with regard to substances and alcohol. However, the company stated that NIADA’s focus was narrow and specialised and its evidence that had been taken solely from its work with this particular group was not impartial. Alcohol can cause abnormal heart rhythms in the body, high blood pressure and can damage the heart muscle and cause other diseases such as strokes, liver problems and some cancers. Alcohol is also high in calories and can lead to weight gain and health-related issues in that sense (British Heart Foundation). Caffeine in large amounts can also have effects on the body and health, such as increased breathing and heart rate as well as increased mental activity and physical energy. The body can also become dependent on caffeine physically and psychologically and then feel withdrawal symptoms from it (Better Health Channel). Hence, excess levels of both can have adverse effects on health, especially young people. 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.”Alison Douglas, chief executive of Alcohol Focus Scotland, said the flavours were “reminiscent of a sweet shop”. The company then explained that Dragon Soop Venom had similar dominant flavour notes to its on-trade namesake which included orange, other fruit hints and a touch of the rich, round caramel associated with Bourbon. 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 company stated that NIADA had made a number of unreliable observations, incorrect contentions and factual mistakes that the company wished to comment on.