Debenham's 7up Free mislabelling

[shiv]

So, after tottering down Oxford Street for far too long, today my mum and I stopped at the Debenhams cafe for a drink & cake.

I went to get myself a Diet Pepsi from the tap when I spotted the 7up was labelled as 7up Free on the dispenser. Looking at the price list, it just said 7up, so I tested it (using my Contour USB) and it was full of sugar (if anyone's wondering, it registers diet drinks as '0.6mmol/l or less' and sugary stuff as anything more than that - this came up at 3.6). I was gutted that I thought I had some CHOICE for once only to have it taken away from me!

Just to clarify, bottled 7up Free is sugar free. Hence my confusion/disappointment at seeing something labelled 7up Free, yet testing as full of sugar.

Anyway - I went to the cashier to question it, and she went and checked the syrup box - she reported back that 7up is 'free' of caffeine and colourings and that's why it's labelled as '7up free'!!! Great - but bottled 7up Free is also sugar free! What if I hadn't tested? I would have been sky high very quickly!!

The cashier didn't seem to take much interest in my suggestion of putting up a sign saying it wasn't sugar free 7up...but I was thankful that she had at least checked the packaging for me.

So yes, beware of Debenham's cafe (Oxford Street level 2 in particular!) - their labelling is quite misleading! I feel an email to Debenhams head office coming on...

 

[Pumper_Sue]

Shiv,
Is there a customer help line you can ring tomorrow?
Debenhams and the drink company?
If so complain about it and say this mislabeling could have caused you to be very ill. I bet once you explain they will put it right.
Normally the firms concerned will send out some vouchers as a goodwill gesture as well.

 

[shiv]

I haven't looked for a phone number but that's not a bad idea. I'll be emailing them tomorrow at any rate.

It really worried me because what if a parent went in and was distracted by their children, shopping bags, etc, and the child wasn't able to tell it was sugary? Or drank it before the parent had chance to taste it and check? Very worrying what the implications could be.

Debenhams will be hearing very soon exactly what those implications could have been!

 

[caffeine_demon]

7up regular is free of caffeine too - I really can't imagine that the "draught" version would contain sugar - maybe the cashier was wrong.

 

[Caroline]

I have taken the stance that if I don't make my needs clear no one else will. Misleading labels could prove very serious. We laugh at chocolate bars like fruit and nut or whole nut telling us the product contains nut, but we also need to know sugar is there in diet drinks and nuts might be there in other products. I'd let them know how confusing their labelling is...

 

[shiv]

7up regular is free of caffeine

Exactly!

I tested it with my kit, and it showed it had sugar in it. She said the box was labelled free of caffeine and colourings. I've just checked my bottle of 7up Free and it's labelled free of sugar, colourings, caffeine and preservatives.

It's incredibly unusual to find 7up Free on tap - I know McDonalds does it, which is why I was so excited/suspicious when I saw it labelled as 7up Free on the dispenser, and only 7up on the price list. It pays to be suspicious sometimes, especially when concerning my health and safety!

 

[Steff]

Good luck with this Shiv people dont seem to realise the dire consequences for us diabetics if things are labelled wrongly the DiDkA campaign did great things but on an indivudual level we all need to take a stand and pick them up on the seriousness of such a blunder.

 

[Alan S]

So, after tottering down Oxford Street for far too long, today my mum and I stopped at the Debenhams cafe for a drink & cake.

I went to get myself a Diet Pepsi from the tap when I spotted the 7up was labelled as 7up Free on the dispenser. Looking at the price list, it just said 7up, so I tested it (using my Contour USB) and it was full of sugar (if anyone's wondering, it registers diet drinks as '0.6mmol/l or less' and sugary stuff as anything more than that - this came up at 3.6). I was gutted that I thought I had some CHOICE for once only to have it taken away from me!

Just to clarify, bottled 7up Free is sugar free. Hence my confusion/disappointment at seeing something labelled 7up Free, yet testing as full of sugar.

Anyway - I went to the cashier to question it, and she went and checked the syrup box - she reported back that 7up is 'free' of caffeine and colourings and that's why it's labelled as '7up free'!!! Great - but bottled 7up Free is also sugar free! What if I hadn't tested? I would have been sky high very quickly!!

The cashier didn't seem to take much interest in my suggestion of putting up a sign saying it wasn't sugar free 7up...but I was thankful that she had at least checked the packaging for me.

So yes, beware of Debenham's cafe (Oxford Street level 2 in particular!) - their labelling is quite misleading! I feel an email to Debenhams head office coming on...

If you want to vent your spleen, feel free to write and complain. I probably would. But don't expect it to change anything.

I learned the hard way very early from too many bad experiences in fast-food places around the world. Remember two basic facts. The fast-food restaurant manager's primary goal is to keep that restaurant operating smoothly, with the cash register singing, and the average employee age is about 16. The manager could not care less if you go hyperglycemic as long as you don't do it noisily and the employee is more interested in thinking about satisfying their hormonal urges than your dietary needs.

The answer is simple, if inconvenient. Do not drink post-mix sodas; you have no control over which button the waiter presses or even which line is connected to the diet soda when they run out of diet syrup. If you cannot buy a bottle or can, then drink water or coffee or tea, with sweetener if necessary. Note that a teaspoon of sugar you add yourself is not likely to be a big problem, but the amount they add to a cup of iced tea or a regular soda is.

 

[Ellie Jones]

Yes I would write to head office or manager of the store as if we don't complain when we find these discrepancies then how will it ever change, if we all do it when we find it then eventually the message should get through!

It's like the nutritional lables on the back, if it gives carbs per portion, I always check this to the information they give for the whole packet, as there can be dicrepancies in these, I brought sainsburys cheap cheap noodles, and the lable said that 1/2 pck had more carbs in it than a full pocket!!!! Now which way does one jump for dosing insulin???

But it only every changes if we all speak out

 

[shiv]

I emailed them last night pointing out how dangerous the mislabelling was. They aim to respond in 3 days apparently, so I'll let you know what they say.

Personally I am not going to NOT drink post mix sodas because they COULD be the wrong drink. As I've shown, I test anything I am unsure or suspicious about. It is their duty to ensure it is diet pepsi etc coming through the lines, and it's my personal duty to myself to double check that if I have any doubts ('any doubts' is usually if I sip it and it tastes sugary).

 

[Flutterby]

I love the fact that you guys test out drinks - you are fab, keep up the good work!

 

[KateR]

I emailed them last night pointing out how dangerous the mislabelling was. They aim to respond in 3 days apparently, so I'll let you know what they say.

Personally I am not going to NOT drink post mix sodas because they COULD be the wrong drink. As I've shown, I test anything I am unsure or suspicious about. It is their duty to ensure it is diet pepsi etc coming through the lines, and it's my personal duty to myself to double check that if I have any doubts ('any doubts' is usually if I sip it and it tastes sugary).

I drink a lot of diet pepsi so I know immediately if it is the wrong one, though having said that I haven't found one in one of those machines yet.