Clean Alcohol Collective Expands with New Testing & Certification Partnerships

(New York, NY – November 3, 2026) - Clean Alcohol Collective's (CAC) partners with Light Labs and The Detox Project, bringing independent testing, ingredient verification and third-party certification to a growing coalition of alcohol brands committed to greater transparency.

These testing accreditations add another layer to CAC's mission to establish cleaner standards across the alcohol industry, with a focus on ingredient transparency, responsible production, and accountability. Through independent testing and third-party certification, Light Labs and The Detox Project will help member brands verify their ingredients and formulations against CAC's standards, reinforcing the Collective's commitment to cleaner alcohol products and giving consumers greater confidence in what they're drinking.

"From the beginning, our goal with the Clean Alcohol Collective has been to bring greater accountability to an industry where consumers have historically had very little information about what's in their drinks," said Meredith Mills-Merritt, Co-Founder of CAC and Founder of The Original Southside. "Partnering with Light Labs and The Detox Project allows us to take that mission further, giving our members the tools to substantiate their claims and giving consumers more confidence in the products they're choosing."

As CAC's Official Testing Partner, Light Labs will provide independent laboratory testing to help members verify their products against the Collective's ingredient standards, including screening for prohibited artificial colors and additives.

"Transparency means more when brands can back up their claims with independent testing," said Nicholas Mares of Light Labs. "Through our partnership with the Clean Alcohol Collective, we're helping make ingredient verification a more accessible and meaningful part of how alcohol brands approach product quality and accountability."

In addition, the Detox Project, CAC's Official Certification Partner, will bring expertise in third-party certification and pesticide residue testing, including glyphosate screening, helping member brands further substantiate their ingredient and production claims.

"Consumers increasingly want to know not only what's intentionally added to their products, but also what may be present as a result of agricultural and production practices," said Henry Rowlands, Founder of The Detox Project. "By partnering with the Clean Alcohol Collective, we're helping bring greater visibility to those questions through independent testing and certification."

Together, these partnerships build on CAC's strict NO LIST of prohibited artificial colors, preservatives, sweeteners and certain additives. For consumers, this means greater visibility into what's inside their drinks and more confidence that participating brands' claims are supported by independent verification rather than marketing language alone.

The announcement also comes as CAC continues to expand its membership across beer, wine, spirits and RTDs, bringing together brands of varying sizes around a shared commitment to ingredient transparency and responsible production.

About Southside Beverage Holdings: Southside Beverage Holdings was founded in 2021 by Meredith Mills. She serves as CEO of Southside Beverage Holdings, Inc., where she drives all business operations, advertising, and brand partnerships along with the development of new RTD products. The Original Southside ®, the first product launched in 2024. Meredith is a consumer brand builder, CEO, entrepreneur, and investor focused on building brands with a “better for you” focus and sustainable environmental impact. Meredith is also the founder of MMG Consulting, a global consulting business where she advises across spirits, beauty, and other package goods industries.

About Light Labs: At Light Labs, we believe transparency is essential to fixing this broken food system. We're building a modern testing lab and software platform designed to give brands clear, reliable, and actionable insights into their products' purity and nutritional integrity. Our laboratory measures contaminants down to parts-per-billion accuracy, and our software platform translates complex data into actionable insights. We make it straightforward to manage your testing workflow, track compliance, and transparently communicate results to consumers—transforming testing from an operational cost into a powerful brand differentiator. Transparency isn't just good ethics—it's great business. In a market flooded with misleading labels and hidden contaminants, clear and credible information gives your brand a competitive edge, builds trust with customers, and ultimately drives growth. By investing in rigorous testing and radical transparency, we’re reshaping incentives across the food industry. Together, we can create a safer, cleaner, and more nourishing food supply.

About The Detox Project: The Detox Project is a research and certification platform dedicated to bringing transparency to the food, drinks and supplement industries on the issue of toxic chemicals. We believe people have a right to know what is in the products they buy and consume, and we work with brands, researchers and consumers to make that information clear, credible and verifiable.