We drink carbonated and sugary drinks with too much lightness, often without asking us what really contain those colorful and inviting bottles. Yet, if we focused on it for a moment to reflect, we could be surprised. A recent test, conducted in Italy by the magazine The Life jacket, put under the lens 14 soft drinks of the best known brandsto verify the presence inside them of any traces of pesticides and Pfas (the so -called “Forever Chemicals”, eternal chemicals).
Specifically, the drinks tested (orange, lemon, chole and cold teas) were the following:
Let’s see what the test discovered, in particular about the presence of Pfas, pesticides but also as it is to dyes and quantitative sugars.
Pfas in the Soft Drink
In 7 of the drinks analyzed, they were identified Two substances belonging to the Pfas familyin particular PFMS and PFHXA. The latter is a substance that Europe has decided to ban from 2026 in many commonly used products, such as waterproof and cosmetic fabrics, for its potential harmful effects on health and the environment.
As for soft drinks, there are currently no specific limits for the presence of these chemicals. The test therefore does reference to the values provided for drinking water, which fix much higher thresholds much higher than the quantities found in tested drinks.
However, remember that PFAS are very persistent substances, already widely spread in the environment, foods and in many products of everyday use, not only in soft drinks. They tend to gradually accumulate in the body, with possible consequences on various organs, from the liver to the kidneys, and can interfere with the hormonal system. For this reason, it is essential to continue monitoring its presence, even in the most common drinks.
And the pesticides?
Among all the drinks analyzed, they were only those based on orange to show traces of pesticides, A situation that is not surprising considering that orange is one of the most treated citrus fruits with chemicals during cultivation and conservation. In addition, in orange drinks, the percentage of concentrated juice is often higher than other drinks, thus increasing the probability of finding pesticides residues in the final product.
Residues of 4 Different pesticides: IMAZALIL, Pyrimethalil, Spirotetramat (and its metabolites) and Fludioxonil. IMAZALIL is a widespread fungicide on citrus fruits, ranked as possible carcinogenic by some international agencies. Spirotetramat, suspected of compromising fertility and fetal development, will be prohibited in Europe from October 2025, while Pyrimethalil is considered potentially toxic and mutagen. Finally, the Flioxonil is reported as an endocrine interferent.
To date, there are no specific regulatory limits for pesticides residues in soft drinks. Therefore, to have a reference parameter, also in this case the experts of the Life jacket They have chosen to apply the limits established for drinking water, which include a maximum threshold of 0.1 micrograms per liter for single substance and 0.5 micrograms per liter for the total sum. If these same criteria were applied to analyzed drinks, all oranges would overcome the levels considered safe.
The experts of the Life jacket However, they specify that the limits for water are designed for daily and constant consumption, while sugary drinks are consumed less frequently. But, as in the case of the PFAS, the presence of these chemicals in drinks should not be underestimated, above all because some pesticides can accumulate over time and present risks to human health, in particular for the hormonal system and fertility.
Too much sugar or controversial sweeteners
Another aspect evaluated by the test was the sugar content and the presence of artificial sweeteners. Different drinks analyzed -including Coca-Cola, Fanta, Schweppes, Lurisia and some cold teas- They exceeded 10 grams of sugar per 100 ml. Not a little, considering that with a 330 ml can you reach 33 grams.
Other brands have reduced sugars, however, resorting to artificial sweeteners such as Sucralose or Acesulfame K, controversial substances and attentive by many scientific studies for their possible side effects.
Questionable dyes and ingredients
Other controversial ingredients such as glucose-fruttose syrup, additives and dyes, also ended up under observation. Among these theE150Da caramel coloring associated with possible carcinogenic effects and allergic reactions.
Although legal, these ingredients certainly do not help to improve the nutritional profile of soft drinks.
The worst drinks of the test
Some of the drinks analyzed have been “rejected” and positioned themselves at the bottom of the ranking due to the presence of one or more critical elements, such as pesticide residues, traces of PFAS, a high content of sugars and controversial sweeteners.
The worst product turned out to be orange lurisia (with only 3.5 points out of 10). In this drink, pesticides such as Fludioxonil (0.002 mg/kg), Imazilil (0.006 mg/kg), Pyrimethalil (0.003 mg/kg), Spirottetramat Cis enol (0.011 mg/kg) and Spyrotetramat enol glucoside (0.001 mg/kg) were detected, while PFMS has been found at 2.1 ng/l. The sugar content is instead 13.6 grams per 100 ml.
Does not reach sufficiency (score 5,2) either Sanpellegrino orange intense taste which contains pesticides such as IMAZALIL (0.004 mg/kg), Pyrimethalil (0.001 mg/kg), Spirotettramat Cis Enol (0.007 mg/kg) and Spirotetramat en glucoside (0.001 mg/kg), while among the PFAS there is the PFMS at 6.8 ng/. The sugar content is 10.1 grams per 100 ml.
The Fanta reaches an almost sufficient score (5,9). Find traces of pesticides such as Imazilil (0.002 mg/kg) and Spirotetramat cis enol (0.004 mg/kg), while there are no pfas; The sugar is 11 grams per 100 ml.
To discover all the complete results, the laboratory analyzes and the final ranking, refer to the August number of The life jacket, Available on newsstands and digital version.
How the Soft Drink test was conducted
The test was carried out by Life jacket Out of 14 samples of sugary drinks, selected from the most common in Italian supermarkets and divided into four main categories: orange drinks, lemon, cold teas and cole.
The samples have been analyzed in the laboratory due to the presence of contaminating substances, in particular PFAS (perfluoroalchilic substances) and pesticides, but sugars and ingredients considered unwelcome such as sweeteners and dyes have also been assessed.
The analyzes on pesticides and on the PFAS followed the ISO 46: 2017 legislation and the results were compared with the safety limits envisaged for potable waters, in the absence of specific limits for soft drinks.
The overall judgment was formulated by attributing a weight of 40% to the presence and concentration of pesticides, 30% to the PFAS, and 15% respectively to the sugars and unwelcome ingredients.
