A reader has contacted the “Chronicle” expressing concern that children are drinking a 13% alcopop that has already faced criticism for being targeted at the young.
Buzzballz are ready-to-drink cocktails sold in round containers.
Jem Roberts, head of external affairs at the Institute of Alcohol Studies, told the “Guardian” recently that the packaging “looks like a product entirely designed to appeal to children while hiding behind a thin ‘nostalgia’ label”.
He told the “Guardian”: “Sweet flavours, TikTok-style branding, it’s hardly subtle.
“We know two of the biggest drivers of alcohol harm are cheap prices and heavy marketing. A 99p shot promoted as fun and shareable combines both.
“While youth drinking has declined, the UK still has some of the highest levels of heavy episodic drinking among young people in Europe, so this is not a problem we’ve solved.”
The reader who contacted the “Chronicle” said he found the shot next to soft drinks and sweets dropped on the floor – suggesting that it had been drunk by children.
He told the “Chronicle”: “We all know kids are going to try booze – in my day it was lager and my kids had WKD and Hooch, but this seems far more designed to appeal to children – and it’s 13%. That’s like giving a kid some wine to knock back.
“At 13%, a child is going to get drunk very quickly, and that could land them in all kinds of danger.”
As can be seen from the photo, the alcohol had been littered next to an empty sweets box.
The man added: “I’d say to parents in the Canal Street, Astbury Lane Ends area of Congleton – if your child buys Toxic Waste sweets and was out with their mates over half term, it might be worth checking their room for Buzzballz.”
Buzzballz is a US product. Devised by Merrilee Kick in Dallas while working on a high school teaching degree as a way to earn some spare cash, it was originally promoted as being a woman-owned and family-run business. It was acquired by Sazerac in 2024.
Buzzballz have gained popularity among Generation Z as an affordable alcoholic beverage. BuzzBallz are available in about 30 flavours.
Schools in America have reported BuzzBallz as being a product of abuse chosen by students, and questions have been raised over the product’s intended market.
