Consuming counterfeit carbonated beverages can lead to numerous health issues. However, distinguishing between real and fake soft drinks can be quite challenging due to their similar appearances. Let’s explore how to identify counterfeit soft drinks to keep you safe!
Which Soft Drinks Are Frequently Counterfeited in the Market?
The current beverage market offers hundreds of domestic and imported drinks available everywhere. As a result, counterfeit products easily infiltrate this market, leading to an increasing mix of fake soft drinks.
There are many facilities across the country producing fake soft drinks. These beverages often lack hygiene standards and contain chemicals of unclear origins and banned substances that are harmful to health.
Two major brands in the Vietnamese soft drink market, Coca-Cola and Pepsi, have both been counterfeited extensively. Other brands such as Sting and 7Up are also affected.
Plastic bottled soft drinks are the easiest to counterfeit! This is because counterfeiters struggle to replicate the can printing technology of genuine products. Glass bottles, on the other hand, are usually retrieved by brands, making them harder to forge.
Why Is It Difficult to Distinguish Between Real and Fake Soft Drinks?
It is very challenging to differentiate between real and fake soft drinks as the exterior designs are almost identical, thanks to advanced counterfeit labeling technology.
Counterfeit producers can purchase empty plastic bottles to refill and reseal with their beverages. The appearance is identical to genuine soft drinks, and the only way to tell them apart is through taste.
However, not everyone can easily recognize the taste. Soft drinks are typically consumed cold or with ice, which masks the flavor and scent of the beverage.
Additionally, counterfeit soft drinks often sell at much lower prices than genuine ones.
Guide to Distinguishing Between Certain Real and Fake Soft Drinks
Identifying Fake and Real Coca-Cola
At a glance, it is difficult to differentiate between real and fake Coca-Cola. The two bottles look alike in terms of design and label printing.
The most notable difference that helps us distinguish them is the Coca-Cola logo on the bottle cap.
- Fake: The ‘R’ symbol is quite small inside the circle at the end of the Coca-Cola name, printed smudged and unclear. The size of the ‘R’ is the same as that of the genuine bottle.
- Real: Although the ‘R’ is also small inside the circle, it is printed clearly and sharply. The tail of the ‘R’ and the letter itself are distinctly separated from the circle without any blurring or smudging.
- Fake: The label adhesive edge is uneven, and you can feel it when you touch it. Due to poor techniques, the adhesive edge is visibly rough. Some bottles may even have the label applied crookedly, showing excess glue.
- Real: The label adhesive edge is smooth and aligned correctly, you may need to look closely to see the edge. When you touch it, the adhesive feels smooth, without roughness or excess glue.
Fake Coca-Cola has a very bland taste and minimal carbonation. In contrast, genuine Coca-Cola has a sweet taste with strong carbonation.
You can clearly notice the taste difference when tasting the product at room temperature, without ice or chilling.
Identifying Fake and Real Sting
- Fake: Near the neck of the bottle, there is no embossed expiration date. Inside the cap of the fake bottle, there are smaller, thinner, and more numerous serrated teeth. Additionally, the color of the fake cap is lighter than that of the real cap, though this can be quite hard to detect.
- Real: There is an embossed expiration date near the neck of the bottle. The serrated edges inside the real cap are larger, longer, and thicker compared to the fake. The color of the real cap is also darker and shinier.
Fake Sting often has a sharp sweet taste that can be unpleasant to the throat when consumed. In contrast, real Sting has a mild sweet taste that is not harsh.
Similar to Coca-Cola, to clearly identify the taste difference, you should drink the bottle at room temperature.
