Poppi’s new UK range of sodas do not contain sufficient fibre to make a prebiotic claim on pack, The Grocer can reveal.
The four-strong range of soft drinks – set to land on Tesco shelves this week – contain just 3g of fibre per can, in line with their US counterparts, but lower than rival brands including Hip Pop and Living Things, which contain between 5g-6g of fibre.
Supplier Carlsberg Britvic said it had therefore not made a prebiotic claim for Poppi in order to comply with “local regulations”, instead simply chosing to describe the products as being “high in fibre”.
“We do not make a prebiotic claim for Poppi in the UK due to local regulations. However, Poppi does contain the same ingredients in the US and UK recipes, with minor adjustments to ensure compliance with local regulations,” a spokeswoman for Carlsberg Britvic said. “Both the US and UK recipes contain 3g fibre per 330ml can and there are two types of fibre declared on pack – cassava root fibre and agave inulin.”
The “local regulations” were likely a reference to EU and UK regulations which allow the use of the term “prebiotic” only when accompanied and substantiated by a relevant and authorised specific health claim, freelance nutritionist Claire Baseley told The Grocer.
For non-dairy drinks, products must contain 12g of chicory inulin per serving, enabling them to make a general health claim such as “prebiotic” when accompanied by the specific authorised claim: “Chicory inulin contributes to normal bowel function by increasing stool frequency.”
Baseley said: “From the ingredients of the product, that claim would not be substantiated, hence why they are not using the term ‘prebiotic’ on their GB and EU products, to comply with the Nutrition and Health Claims directive.
In 2022, the ASA ruled against Kellogg’s for using the claims “Prebiotic* goodness to fuel your gut” and “Prebiotic Oaty Clusters contains natural prebiotic chicory root fibre, helping support digestive health by increasing levels of important bacteria living in your gut”.
Kellogg’s claims broke advertising rules as its All-Bran Prebiotic Oaty Clusters Original product contained just 5.4g of prebiotic fibre per serving – equivalent to just 45% of the daily fibre intake require to induce the full beneficial effect, the ASA said.
Poppi US lawsuit
Poppi has already come under scrutiny in the US for not containing enough prebiotic fibre to induce meaningful gut health benefits.
The brand settled a class action lawsuit last year, after being sued by drinkers who claimed it was falsely marketing its drinks as “gut healthy”.
Poppi denied the claim its marketing overstated the amount of prebiotic fibre and gut health benefits its drink offered, but agreed to pay out a total of $8.9m to consumers who purchased its drinks between 2020 and 2025.
Perhaps wary of befalling the same fate, Carlsberg Britvic has avoided explicitly referencing gut health or broader health benefits in its marketing for Poppi.
The press release announcing Poppi’s UK launch describes the sodas as offering “full-flavoured refreshment with low sugar, low calories, real fruit juice and high fibre”.
Their launch was aimed at “meeting growing consumer demand for drinks that combine enjoyment with added benefit”, the supplier added.
PepsiCo splurged $1.95bn to acquire Poppi in 2025 as part of a bid to diversify away from mainstream soda towards products with stronger health credentials.
Last year, Pepsi also rolled out a prebiotic version of its flagship, namesake soda in the US, also containing 3g of prebiotic fibre per can.
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