A cola that kids are allowed to drink at school – unlike Coke
Alex Beckett, The Grocer 31 October 2009 In: Industry news, Soft drinks | More

A small drinks company from Cheshire has got one over on global giants Coca-Cola and PepsiCo with the first-ever cola to be officially endorsed by the government's school regulations.

Evoid Six is a fruit-based cola that looks like a normal cola but contains 67% apple, grape and lemon juice and is free of e-numbers and additives.

Unlike Coca-Cola or Pepsi, it can be sold in schools as the recipe meets recommendations set by the government's School Food Trust stating that the only drinks other than water, milk or fruit juice that can be sold or consumed in schools must be at least 50% fruit-based.

The cola is one of seven fruit-based drinks launched by Evoid Drinks into 200 schools last month and is available in canteens and vending machines.

The company revealed that it was now in talks with Waitrose and Booths with a view to rolling the range out to stores.

Founder Andrew Webb predicted that the cola, which is expected to retail at £1 a can, would be popular with mums who wanted "a healthy but cool" drink for their kids to take to school. "There's no escaping the fact that kids love cola," he said.

"Schools have banned it, parents try to steer their children towards healthier alternatives, but young people still want it. Adhering to stringent guidelines, Evoid Six is schools-compliant and offers parents and local authorities an alternative to traditional colas that rely on additives."

Evoid Drinks is a subsidiary business of foodservice group Hopewall Farm Foods and Smart Food, a school catering company.