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Four Loko maker to scrap caffeine
FDA, FTC to tell manufacturers jolting alcoholic drinks are 'unsafe'
WASHINGTON — Alcohol and caffeine will no longer mix in a popular drink that has won the wrath of state and federal regulators.
Phusion Projects late Tuesday announced it would reformulate its products to remove caffeine, guarana and taurine nationwide.
"Going forward, Phusion will produce only non-caffeinated versions of Four Loko," company co-founders Chris Hunter, Jeff Wright and Jaisen Freeman said in a joint statement.
The three maintained that the combination of alcohol and caffeine is safe.
"If it were unsafe, popular drinks like rum and colas or Irish coffees that have been consumed safely and responsibly for years would face the same scrutiny that our products have recently faced," they said.
Phusion Project's products were approved by the Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, they said.
Their announcement came as U.S. regulators planned to crack down on companies selling alcoholic beverages that include a jolt of caffeine amid pressure from lawmakers, states and consumer groups that contend the drinks are dangerous.
Two U.S. agencies, the Food and Drug Administration and the Federal Trade Commission, are expected to warn manufacturers that adding caffeine to beer and other alcoholic drinks is unsafe and will caution them against marketing such beverages, Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., said Tuesday.
Doing so "will effectively ban products from the market," Schumer said in a statement. He did not say when the agencies would act, and representatives for the FDA and the FTC had no comment.
Schumer and other U.S. lawmakers, as well as attorneys general in states such as Connecticut, have lobbied heavily for some kind of federal regulatory action following reports of young adults across the U.S. passing out or being hospitalized after consuming the so-called alcohol energy drinks.
Consumer advocates have also been urging tougher action against the drinks, sold mostly by privately held companies under the brands Four Loko, Joose and others. The cheap, fruit flavored drinks are growing in popularity, especially among college students, they say.
"Compounded with its health risks, beverages like Four Loko pose a unique danger because they target young people," Schumer said, noting that such drinks can contain the caffeine equivalent of up to three cups of coffee and the alcohol equivalent of three cans of beer per container.
Major beermakers have already abandoned such products.
Units of Anheuser-Busch InBev NV and SABMiller Plc , the world's No. 1 and No. 2 brewers, pulled caffeinated alcohol drinks from U.S. shelves in 2008 after mounting pressure from several state attorneys general.
Their absence left room for small, entrepreneurial players like Phusion Projects and its Four Loko.
Several states have already implemented bans, according to Representative Rosa DeLauro, head of a House panel that oversees the FDA, who urged a ban earlier this week.
Asked if the agency could act as early as Wednesday, FDA spokeswoman Beth Martino said the agency "is reviewing the scientific data regarding the safety of these drinks" but declined further comment.
MORE
Four Loko maker to scrap caffeine
FDA, FTC to tell manufacturers jolting alcoholic drinks are 'unsafe'
WASHINGTON — Alcohol and caffeine will no longer mix in a popular drink that has won the wrath of state and federal regulators.
Phusion Projects late Tuesday announced it would reformulate its products to remove caffeine, guarana and taurine nationwide.
"Going forward, Phusion will produce only non-caffeinated versions of Four Loko," company co-founders Chris Hunter, Jeff Wright and Jaisen Freeman said in a joint statement.
The three maintained that the combination of alcohol and caffeine is safe.
"If it were unsafe, popular drinks like rum and colas or Irish coffees that have been consumed safely and responsibly for years would face the same scrutiny that our products have recently faced," they said.
Phusion Project's products were approved by the Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, they said.
Their announcement came as U.S. regulators planned to crack down on companies selling alcoholic beverages that include a jolt of caffeine amid pressure from lawmakers, states and consumer groups that contend the drinks are dangerous.
Two U.S. agencies, the Food and Drug Administration and the Federal Trade Commission, are expected to warn manufacturers that adding caffeine to beer and other alcoholic drinks is unsafe and will caution them against marketing such beverages, Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., said Tuesday.
Doing so "will effectively ban products from the market," Schumer said in a statement. He did not say when the agencies would act, and representatives for the FDA and the FTC had no comment.
Schumer and other U.S. lawmakers, as well as attorneys general in states such as Connecticut, have lobbied heavily for some kind of federal regulatory action following reports of young adults across the U.S. passing out or being hospitalized after consuming the so-called alcohol energy drinks.
Consumer advocates have also been urging tougher action against the drinks, sold mostly by privately held companies under the brands Four Loko, Joose and others. The cheap, fruit flavored drinks are growing in popularity, especially among college students, they say.
"Compounded with its health risks, beverages like Four Loko pose a unique danger because they target young people," Schumer said, noting that such drinks can contain the caffeine equivalent of up to three cups of coffee and the alcohol equivalent of three cans of beer per container.
Major beermakers have already abandoned such products.
Units of Anheuser-Busch InBev NV and SABMiller Plc , the world's No. 1 and No. 2 brewers, pulled caffeinated alcohol drinks from U.S. shelves in 2008 after mounting pressure from several state attorneys general.
Their absence left room for small, entrepreneurial players like Phusion Projects and its Four Loko.
Several states have already implemented bans, according to Representative Rosa DeLauro, head of a House panel that oversees the FDA, who urged a ban earlier this week.
Asked if the agency could act as early as Wednesday, FDA spokeswoman Beth Martino said the agency "is reviewing the scientific data regarding the safety of these drinks" but declined further comment.
MORE
When I was at the liquor mart Monday, a customer cleaned them out of
Four Loko (looked like he had at least 30 cans or more). Said he was a
can collector and didn't want to miss out on such a 'golden opportunity.'
I wonder how many other can collectors around the country will be
stocking up?!??
btw, doesn't mixing Red Bull with vodka amount to the same thing?
Four Loko (looked like he had at least 30 cans or more). Said he was a
can collector and didn't want to miss out on such a 'golden opportunity.'
I wonder how many other can collectors around the country will be
stocking up?!??
btw, doesn't mixing Red Bull with vodka amount to the same thing?
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