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- Just over a year after Shoprite started selling the drink in SA, PRIME Hydration is now selling for 75% less than the price it sells in Checkers stores.
- Shoprite says it will liquidate existing inventory in order to source from local manufacturers.
- The product is popular with Gen Z and is at the center of a lawsuit in the US over claims about its caffeine content and the presence of “forever chemicals.”
- For more financial news, visit the News24 Business front page..
Prime Hydration, a drinks brand part-owned and endorsed by famous YouTubers Logan Paul and KSI, is on sale at Shoprite's Checkers stores for just R10, around 75% cheaper than its initial price last year.
Shoprite, which used its logistics and distribution power to bring its popular drink to Checkers and Checkers Hyper stores last April, explained Friday's significant price drop and said it will eliminate all existing imports. He said he has significantly lowered the price and is currently preparing to procure it from a local manufacturer.
In April last year, when SA's largest retailer first announced to the market that it would be selling the drink in SA for R39.99, the drink had previously sold for as much as R500 in some SA stores. It became a hot topic on social media. Due to strong demand from Gen Z, 500ml bottles were launched.
Today, Takealot.com still sells some flavors for R120, including 500ml bottles of strawberry and watermelon.
In response to a question from News24, Shoprite said the Checkers supermarket chain was “disposing of its last stock of imported Prime Hydration as the product will soon be produced and bottled domestically”. The name of the local manufacturer was not disclosed.
The discounted prices at Checkers and Checkers Hyper stores are also unrelated to the controversy surrounding Prime Group's energy sports drinks in the United States, which have been criticized for their chemical composition and excessive amounts of caffeine. A lawsuit has been filed.
The latest lawsuit in New York, reported in April by USA Today, falsely claims that the company's 12-ounce energy drink contained 215 to 225 milligrams of caffeine, as opposed to the advertised 200 milligrams. The story revolved around suspicions of inviting others.
USA Today highlighted another 2023 class action lawsuit alleging that the grape flavor of the company's sports drink contains per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), or “forever chemicals.” .
Asked to comment on the US report on Prime Hydration, Shoprite said all imports are subject to “port authority inspection” by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries to “ensure compliance with South African health and food safety standards”. He said that he has received the following.
“Furthermore, the retail group only sources from reputable, vetted companies with the necessary food safety certifications.”
Takealot declined to comment.
YouTuber Paul himself denied the allegations in a Tiktok video, saying that PRIME had followed “all guidelines and regulations” and that previous claims that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration was investigating the drink “never happened.” There wasn’t,” he added.
“They never called us because we followed all the guidelines and regulations.”
Regarding litigation in the United States, Paul also said that in the United States, “anyone can sue anyone at any time.”
“That doesn't make the lawsuit true, and it's not true in this lawsuit. There's been an argument that forever chemicals come from plastic. So in this case, they're talking about an actual drink, a liquid prime. They're talking about the bottle, not the bottle.'' PRIME is manufactured in the United States. This is not a risky business. We use top US bottle manufacturers. ”
Shoprite also referred News24 to a statement from Congo Brands, which owns the PRIME brand, noting that its “local colleagues” in the US had filed a motion to dismiss the PFAS lawsuit. The statement in question from Congo Brands' EMEA office in Switzerland appears to have been addressed to the group's retail partners.
“No evidence has been provided in this regard. We refute the allegations comprehensively, including science-based facts from our manufacturing and packaging partners,” it said in a statement.
As for what exactly PFAS chemicals are, it said they are “a group of industrial chemicals that have been widely used in industrial and consumer products since the 1940s because of their advantageous properties.”
Congo Brands states that one of the common concerns about PFAS substances is that many of them degrade very slowly and can correspondingly accumulate in the environment over time. Ta.
“Blood tests have also shown that accumulation of certain PFAS occurs in humans and animals. The science surrounding the potential negative health effects of this bioaccumulation is still evolving, as with many environmental contaminants. is.”
Congo Brands also told its retail partners to assure customers that they “comply at all times with all relevant regulatory requirements in all business areas.”
“Our raw materials, packaging materials, manufacturing, and storage/distribution processes are followed by rigorous processes to ensure a quality product.”