GoodSwap Get notified
Brisk Ice tea
Photo: Open Food Facts contributors (CC BY-SA)

Iced teas

Brisk Ice tea

12 fl oz

Poor out of 100 High confidence
  • Ultra-processed
  • Contains non-nutritive sweeteners
  • Contains added sugars
  • Contains caffeine
Get GoodSwap

Why it scores 28

Brisk Ice tea scores 28 out of 100 (Poor) under GoodSwap’s published rules. What moved the score most:

  1. High fructose corn syrup: An added sugar. Strong
  2. Ultra-processed (NOVA 4): Classified NOVA 4: made with industrial ingredients and additives. Strong
  3. Sugars 4.8 g / 100 ml: High in sugar. Strong

Every line of the math is on The Receipt below, with its evidence tier and sources.

Better bottled tea

The same kind of product, at least 10 points higher, sold in the US. Never paid placements.

The Receipt

Ice tea

START100

Ingredients

  • High fructose corn syrup
    Strong An added sugar. [1][2][3][4]
  • Sodium benzoate
    Strong Benzoates can form small amounts of benzene in drinks that also contain ascorbic acid (vitamin C), especially with heat or light. [5][6][7]
  • Acesulfame potassium (Ace-K)
    Strong In the NutriNet-Santé cohort, acesulfame-K intake was associated with higher cancer risk; cause and effect is not established. [8][9][10][2]
  • Sodium hexametaphosphate
    Strong EFSA (2019) set a group ADI for phosphates of 40 mg/kg body weight (as phosphorus) and noted that infants, toddlers and children may exceed it. [11]
  • Phosphoric acid
    Strong EFSA (2019) set a group ADI for phosphates of 40 mg/kg body weight (as phosphorus) and noted that infants, toddlers and children may exceed it. [11]
  • Potassium sorbate
    Strong EFSA (2019) set a group ADI of 11 mg/kg body weight (as sorbic acid); generally recognized as safe in the US. [12][13]
  • Calcium disodium EDTA
    Info An ingredient class typical of ultra-processed foods (NOVA group 4). [14]
subtotal−40

Processing

  • Ultra-processed (NOVA 4)
    Strong Classified NOVA 4: made with industrial ingredients and additives. [14]
  • 3 kinds of ultra-processing markers
    Emerging Industrial additive classes found: industrial sugar or starch hydrolysate, non-nutritive sweetener and sequestrant. [14]
subtotal−21

Nutrition per 100 ml

  • Sugars 4.8 g / 100 ml
    Strong High in sugar. [1]
  • Energy 20 kcal / 100 ml
    Info Energy-dense for its volume. [2]
subtotal−11
TOTAL 28Poor

100 − 72 = 28

Can’t score above 79. Contains high fructose corn syrup, an ingredient of high concern. [1][2][3][4]

GTIN 00012000007590 · 2026-09-06

score v1.3.0 · kb 2026.10.11

High confidence

Same product, same score. Every time.

Nutrition per 100 ml

Energy20 kcal
Fat0 g
Saturated fat0 g
Trans fat0 g
Carbohydrates4.8 g
Sugars4.8 g
Added sugars4.8 g
Fiber0 g
Protein0 g
Salt0.1 g

Serving: 12 fl oz

Recipe changed

  • Synthetic dyes removed

Compared with an older list (USDA FoodData Central). The current list is from July 2026.

Ingredients

High Moderate Not recognized Tap an ingredient for its evidence and rules.
Label text, as published

WATER, HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP, CITRIC ACID, SODIUM POLYPHOSPHATES, BLACK TEA POWDER MATURAL FLAVOR, PHOSPHORIC ACID, SODIUM BENZOATE, POTASSIUM SORBATE, ACESULFAME POTASSIUM, SUCRALOSE CALCIUM DISODIUM EDTA.

Allergens and diets

  • Vegan
  • Vegetarian
  • Gluten-free
  • Palm-oil-free

Always check the package: recipes change.

Packaging

Metal

Context only: no points in v1.

Healthiest iced teas in the US

More from Brisk

Sources

  1. Guideline: sugars intake for adults and children

    World Health Organization · Mar 4, 2015 · Agency assessment

    “In both adults and children, WHO recommends reducing the intake of free sugars to less than 10% of total energy intake”

    who.int

  2. Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025–2030

    U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and U.S. Department of Agriculture · January 2026 · Regulator

    “Limit foods and beverages that include artificial flavors, petroleum-based dyes, artificial preservatives, and low-calorie non-nutritive sweeteners.”

    cdn.realfood.gov

  3. Added and free sugars should be as low as possible

    European Food Safety Authority · Feb 28, 2022 · Agency assessment

    “Sugar consumption is a known cause of dental caries.”

    efsa.europa.eu

  4. 21 CFR 184.1866 High fructose corn syrup

    Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (eCFR), U.S. Office of the Federal Register · Mar 24, 2023 · Law

    “a sweet, nutritive saccharide mixture containing either approximately 42 or 55 percent fructose”

    ecfr.gov

  5. Benzene production from decarboxylation of benzoic acid in the presence of ascorbic acid and a transition-metal catalyst

    Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry · May 1993 · Peer-reviewed

    doi.org

  6. Food additives and hyperactive behaviour in 3-year-old and 8/9-year-old children in the community: a randomised, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial

    The Lancet · November 2007 · Peer-reviewed

    “Artificial colours or a sodium benzoate preservative (or both) in the diet result in increased hyperactivity in 3-year-old and 8/9-year-old children in the general population.”

    doi.org

  7. Re-evaluation of benzyl alcohol (E 1519) as food additive (records the 2016 benzoate re-evaluation)

    European Food Safety Authority · Oct 30, 2019 · Agency assessment

    “derived a group ADI of 5 mg/kg bw per day (expressed as benzoic acid) in accordance with the ADI previously derived by SCF and JECFA”

    doi.org

  8. Artificial sweeteners and cancer risk: Results from the NutriNet-Santé population-based cohort study

    PLOS Medicine · Mar 24, 2022 · Peer-reviewed

    “In this large cohort study, artificial sweeteners (especially aspartame and acesulfame-K), which are used in many food and beverage brands worldwide, were associated with increased cancer risk.”

    doi.org

  9. Re-evaluation of acesulfame K (E 950) as food additive (plain language summary)

    European Food Safety Authority · Apr 30, 2025 · Agency assessment

    “The acceptable daily intake (ADI) considered safe for all population groups was set at 15 mg/kg body weight (bw) per day.”

    efsa.europa.eu

  10. WHO advises not to use non-sugar sweeteners for weight control in newly released guideline

    World Health Organization · May 15, 2023 · Agency assessment

    “The recommendation is based on the findings of a systematic review of the available evidence which suggests that use of NSS does not confer any long-term benefit in reducing body fat in adults or children.”

    who.int

  11. EFSA issues new advice on phosphates

    European Food Safety Authority · Jun 12, 2019 · Agency assessment

    “We estimated that dietary exposure to phosphates may exceed the new ADI for infants, toddlers and children with average consumption of phosphates in their diet.”

    efsa.europa.eu

  12. Opinion on the follow-up of the re-evaluation of sorbic acid (E200) and potassium sorbate (E202) as food additives

    European Food Safety Authority · Mar 1, 2019 · Agency assessment

    “By applying a default uncertainty factor of 100, the Panel established a group ADI expressed as 11 mg sorbic acid/kg bw per day for sorbic acid (E 200) and its potassium salt (E 202).”

    doi.org

  13. 21 CFR 182.3640 Potassium sorbate

    Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (eCFR), U.S. Office of the Federal Register · Nov 22, 2016 · Law

    ecfr.gov

  14. Ultra-processed foods: what they are and how to identify them

    Public Health Nutrition · April 2019 · Peer-reviewed

    doi.org

  15. Ultra-processed food exposure and adverse health outcomes: umbrella review of epidemiological meta-analyses

    BMJ · Feb 28, 2024 · Peer-reviewed

    “Greater exposure to ultra-processed food was associated with a higher risk of adverse health outcomes, especially cardiometabolic, common mental disorder, and mortality outcomes.”

    doi.org

  16. Ultra-Processed Diets Cause Excess Calorie Intake and Weight Gain: An Inpatient Randomized Controlled Trial of Ad Libitum Food Intake

    Cell Metabolism · July 2019 · Peer-reviewed

    doi.org

  17. Spilling the Beans: How Much Caffeine is Too Much?

    U.S. Food and Drug Administration · Regulator

    “For most adults, the FDA has cited 400 milligrams* a day — that's about two to three 12-fluid-ounce cups of coffee — as an amount not generally associated with negative effects.”

    fda.gov

  18. Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011, Annex III point 4.1 (beverages with high caffeine content)

    European Union (Official Journal) · Oct 25, 2011 · Law

    “‘High caffeine content. Not recommended for children or pregnant or breast-feeding women’”

    eur-lex.europa.eu