Pepsi Drink 750ml — DUMP
Munch or Dump rates Pepsi Drink 750ml by The Coca-Cola Company DUMP — score 17/90.
Pepsi India's pitch is pure attitude — 'Rise Up, Baby!', swag in every sip — and to its credit, it never once claims to be good for you. What's in the bottle is sugar water with caramel dye, phosphoric acid, caffeine, and an emulsifier. 750ml of this is roughly 80 grams of sugar with a marketing budget.
Why this verdict
- Sugar is the second ingredient after water — a 750ml bottle carries on the order of 80g of sugar, an entire day's limit several times over
- Phosphoric acid erodes tooth enamel and is an industrial phosphate with bone and kidney concerns at habitual intake
- Caramel 150d (ammonia sulfite caramel) carries 4-MEI contaminant concerns — it's there purely for color
- Polyoxyethylene sorbitan tristearate (E436) — a synthetic emulsifier stabilizing a drink that's otherwise dye and syrup
- Zero nutrition anywhere in the list: no protein, no fiber, no vitamins — just fast sugar and caffeine
Ingredients (7)
- Carbonated Water (safe) — Basic component of most beverages, provides fizziness.
- Sugar (moderate) — Added for sweetness, can contribute to calorie content.
- Colour (Caramel 150d) (moderate) — Artificial caramel coloring; purely cosmetic and a marker of ultra-processing.
- Acidity regulator (338, phosphoric acid) (moderate) — Gives the tangy bite but combined with sugar is erosive to tooth enamel.
- Caffeine (moderate) — Mild stimulant, 43mg per serving. Fine in moderation but makes the drink mildly habit-forming.
- Flavour (Natural Flavouring Substances) (moderate) — Proprietary flavour blend. 'Natural' here means source-derived, but the exact composition is undisclosed and it's an engineered taste additive.
- Stabilizer (436, polyoxyethylene sorbitan tristearate) (moderate) — Synthetic emulsifier/stabilizer to keep the formula uniform — a marker of industrial processing.
Healthier alternatives
- Kirkland Signature Sparkling Water (Flavored Variety Pack)
- Simple Truth Black Cherry Sparkling Water
- Sparkling Water Black Cherry
- Good & Gather Lime Sparkling Water
- S. Pellegrino Water