FEAR THE ENERGY DRINKS? Michelle Darnell

“Energy Drinks”  This term was created by companies in the beverage industry  Refers to beverages that contain: Caffeine Taurine Guarana B vitamins

History  Japan:  Livonia D (1960’s) Made and manufactured by a pharmaceutical company Sold in small brown medicine bottles For factory workers to stay awake and partiers  America:  Jolt Cola (1985) Manufactured by Wet Plant Beverages Marketed towards students and professionals Made to look like Cola  Now:  Fastest growing U.S. beverage market Sales expected to top $9 billion in year 2011

How they work  Energy comes from:  Sugar and Caffeine  Sense of alertness comes from:  Caffeine blocks adenosine Adenosine- a chemical in the brain that helps the body enter sleep state Causes body to enter the “fight or flight” state releasing adrenaline Entering this state to frequent can have side effects The liver releases extra sugars

Who do you think consumes these products? What age range does this sound like? Consumers

Who consumes these beverages?  More than 50% of the market is people under 25 years of age  30-50% of those are adolescents and young adults  Def: Adolescents-  The state or process of growing up  A stage of development prior to maturity

Target Audience  With kids making up a majority of the consumption, are these products safe? The Worker The Athlete The Clubber

Are these drinks safe?  Their content is not regulated by the FDA  The FDA only mandates that the companies disclose if any caffeine is present in the drink Not how much caffeine is in the drink  The American Beverage Association  Members are voluntarily moving to list accurate caffeine contents

Consumption Issues Recommended Caffeine Intake: Average person: 400 mg Women in reproductive age: Max. 300 mg Adolescents: Less than 100 mg

Maureen Storey Senior Vice President of Science Policy American Beverage Association  “does nothing more than perpetuate misinformation”  “Like all foods, beverages and supplements sold in the US, energy drinks and their ingredients are regulated by the US Food and Drug Administration,” the ABA said. “When it comes to caffeine, it’s important to put the facts in perspective. Most mainstream energy drinks actually contain about half the caffeine of a similar size cup of coffeehouse coffee. In fact, young adults getting coffee from popular coffeehouses are getting about twice as much caffeine as they would from a similar size energy drink.” False- Stated in case

The American Beverage Association:  “In accordance with FDA regulations, beverage companies list caffeine in the ingredients list on product labels when it is added to a product. There is no requirement to list the precise amount of caffeine present. However, many American Beverage Association member companies are voluntarily moving to list precise caffeine contents on product labels as part of an initiative to provide consumers with more information about the beverages that they are drinking.” Truth- Listed on their website

TRUTH  FDA does limit caffeine content in soft drinks but not energy drinks  Why? Soft drinks  food Energy drinks  dietary supplements

Which do you think contains more caffeine?  Energy Drinks?  Coffee?  Tea?  Colas?

Caffeine Amounts Energy Drinks mg Brewed Coffee mg Tea mg Soft Drinks mg

Energy Drinks vs. Coffee  Amount of caffeine is enhanced by the extra ingredients  Numerous servings  Amount of caffeine is determined by the location the coffee beans were harvested from Energy DrinksCoffee

Safety in Question and Targeting Adolescents ? Companies claim they do not market their products towards athletes and at-risk youth Lindsey Vonn Olympic Gold Medalist Urban Nomad Interviewing Grammy Award Artist Juicy J

Is it ethical to provide half-truth information relating to health concerns? Is it ethical to place the products in advertising geared towards them? Ethics

Who are the stakeholders in this issue?  Power  Legitimacy  Urgency Do the stakeholder’s have a valid reason to be upset? Should the industry listen to their view? Stakeholders

Healthy?  Jitteriness and nervousness  Upset stomach headaches  Difficulty concentrating  Difficulty sleeping  Frequent urination  Diabetes  Seizures  Cardiac abnormalities  Mood or behavior disorders Side Effects:Children at risk: No therapeutic benefit to children

Sports  Studies have shown that caffeine intake is good for physical performance  However, the other supplements in energy drinks have not been proven to do the same  Advised to avoid until proven safe  High school athletes claim that the energy drinks do not give them energy but actually make them feel unfocused and dehydrated

Healthy?  Guarana and Taurine have never been studied on children  How can something be considered safe if not proven? How can something be considered safe if it is not even being tested?

Overdose  Too much caffeine can lead to an overdose:  Seizures  Stroke  Death  American Poison Control Center’s track of overdoses:  667 October-December 2010  331 January-February 2011  They have been issuing warnings on these products since 2009

How are they affected by the lack of information they receive when buying these products? Consumers

Mixing Energy Drinks & Alcohol  Sold in stores and clubs  Deemed unsafe because the extra alertness from the energy drink can confuse the consumer into thinking they are not as drunk as they really are  Called the “wide-awake drunk” Can lead to consumer into trouble Drunk driving Date rape  xp.nr.fda.caffeine.drinks.cnn xp.nr.fda.caffeine.drinks.cnn

A FSU student died after consuming 3 cans of Four Loko. It is said he was so manic off the drinks that he accidently shot himself in the head. Jason Keiran

Results  Due to the various reports of the accidents that can happen on energy drinks with alcohol many states have banned the selling in the state  States banning: WashingtonMichiganUtahOklahoma New York

November 17, 2010  FDA sent warning letters to  Charge Beverage Corp.  New Century Brewing Co., LLC  Phusion Projects, LLC Maker of Four Loko  United Brands Company Inc.  They had 15 days to reformulate their products because they were unsafe and illegal  If not they would file to remove the products from shelves

Four Loko  Announced a day later it would reformulate its product  Took the caffeine out  Was the damage already done? Four Loko can: 12% alcohol in a 23.5 ounce can= Several Beers + Several Cups of Coffee

Four Loko  Claim to have taken the extra step and only market their beverages consumers 21+ by doing the following:  Help retail store clerks become familiar with our beverage container labels  Ensure proper product placement in the alcohol section of the store, away from soft drinks and energy drinks  Reinforce that all purchasers of our products must show ID prior to purchasing the products

Is it ethical to sell energy drinks with alcohol in them? Is it ethical to promote energy drinks as a mixer to alcohol? The American Beverage Association contains only drinks that do not contain alcohol. If it is used as a mixer should the label indicate mixing the two is dangerous? Ethics

American Beverage Association: GUIDELINES FOR THE SALE AND MARKETING OF ENERGY DRINKS  Energy drink producers should not promote energy drinks for mixing with alcohol nor should they market energy drinks to counter the effects of alcohol consumption.  Energy drinks are functional beverages which differ from sports drinks and therefore should not be marketed as sport drinks.  Energy drinks should not be sold nor marketed in schools (K-12), as set forth in ABA’s School Beverage Guidelines and in its statement regarding the Sale of Energy Drinks in Schools.  Energy drinks should not be marketed to children, as set forth in ABA’s commitment to the Global Policy on Marketing to Children.

Red Bull’s view  “There is no scientifically substantiated reason why Red Bull Energy Drink should not, like any other drink, be mixed with alcohol. It is common knowledge that the excessive and irresponsible consumption of alcohol can have adverse effects on the human body and behavior - but it should be clear that this is due to the alcoholic drink, not the mixer - be it cola, orange juice, tonic or whatever else is mixed with alcohol.”

How do you feel the reputation of the ABA is? How do you feel the reputation of Four Loko and similar companies is?  Their product/service reputation? Reputation

Did Phusion Projects take the correct form of action by reformulating their drinks? Could they have done something more? Four Loko

Recent Advances  Four Loko is now reformulated but is not selling as much in stores  The studies along with wide news coverage of hospitalization and deaths have turned many people away from the drinks

Conclusion  If going to consume these beverages, do so in a safe manor  Not frequently  Not over the recommended dose Especially for parents in regard for their children  Not with alcohol