Imported carbonated beverages are sold at much higher prices in the local market than abroad, a consumer advocacy group said Tuesday, advising consumers to make prudent decisions on buying those products.

According to the Korean Woman's Federation for Consumers, the price difference between carbonated drinks sold in the country of origin and South Korea reached as high as 7.9 times.

Prices for the same products differed considerably depending on where it was purchased, making it important for people to be aware of the differences, it said.

The federation carried out a survey in cooperation with the Fair Trade Commission and received overseas data from the state-run Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency.

South Korea imported some $5.71 million worth of carbonated drinks last year, up 80.1 percent from $3.12 million the year before.

Of the 10 imported products checked, the price difference was the most striking for the Italian sparkling fruit beverage San Pellegrino, followed by Mattoni Grand and San Benedetto.

In Italy, San Pellegrino sold for 93 won per 100 milliliters, while this rose to almost eightfold to 738 won in South Korea. The price difference for Mattoni Grand and San Benedetto reached 5.8 times and 4.3 times, respectively. The price of Perrier, a popular drink, was also 3.4 times higher in the country vis-a-vis France, while Fonte Allegra cost 1.7 times more in South Korea than in Italy.

The consumer group also said that the prices of imported carbonated beverages differed depending on where they are bought, with online shopping malls being the cheapest and convenience stores and department stores being the most expensive.

"Lab tests showed that there really is no significant nutritional difference between local and imported carbonated drinks, with blind consumer tests actually showing many people are not able to tell the difference in taste," the consumer group claimed.

Under such circumstances it is best for consumers to make well-informed purchasing decisions that are not influenced by brand marketing efforts, it said. (Yonhap)