Image via WikipediaTypically, these flavoured drinks contain up to eight per cent alcohol, which is double the amount of a standard beer.
That means each 1.25-litre bottle contains the equivalent of 11 standard drinks.
Liquor Licensing Inspectors Institute president Murray Clearwater told reporters he bought two bottles of a raspberry lemonade called Big Foot for $15
The bottles contained enough alcohol to kill a person, he said.
He has called for a ban on the sugary beverages at the Alcohol Advisory Council's annual conference, which ends today, the New Zealand Herald reports.
Drug and alcohol counsellor Fialauia Toailoa-Amituanai said the sweet new drinks were encouraging Pasifika women to "leave the men behind in their drinking habits".
This leaves them open to risk of having brain-damaged babies ( fetal alcohol syndrome), she said at the conference.
But manufacturers have said bottles are clearly labelled as a "multi-serve pack" and should not be consumed by one individual. Distribution methods need toughening up - no individual mini bottles of any alcohol should be sold.
Perhaps we need tougher liquor licensing laws to control the distribution of alcoholic drinks from off-license convenience stores, similar to other countries. Something has to be done before more young people die.
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