Tag: caffeine
-
FDA, FTC Act on Alcoholic Energy Drinks
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued warning letters to four manufacturers of alcoholic energy drinks (AEDs), calling the caffeine added to these malt beverages an “unsafe food additive” and threatening further action against Charge Beverages Corp.; New Century Brewing Co., LLC; Phusion Projects, LLC; and United Brands Company Inc. FDA apparently released its…
-
Washington State Issues Temporary Ban on Alcoholic Energy Drinks
The Washington State Liquor Control Board (WSLCB) has passed a resolution to temporarily “prevent the further sale and distribution of malt beverage products containing caffeine and other stimulants.” Washington Governor Christine Gregoire (D) joined WSLCB in announcing the measure, citing reports that nine Central Washington University students “became dangerously ill” after consuming alcoholic energy drinks (AEDs).…
-
Michigan Bans Alcoholic Energy Drinks, Pennsylvania Requests Removal
The Michigan Liquor Control Commission (MLCC) has rescinded “the approval of all alcohol energy drinks [AEDs],” citing “widespread community concerns aired by substance abuse prevention groups, parent groups and various members of the public, as well as the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA’s) decision to further investigate these products.” According to a November 4, 2010,…
-
Washington State AG Continues Campaign to Ban Alcoholic Energy Drinks
Washington State Attorney General Robert McKenna has issued an October 25, 2010, letter to Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Margaret Hamburg, alleging that a recent incident involving alcoholic energy drinks (AEDs) sent nine college students to emergency rooms with alcohol poisoning. According to the letter, “Once at the hospital, medical staff found the blood-alcohol…
-
Defense Counsel Asserts Caffeine Overdose Led to False Murder Confession
A Kentucky man accused of murdering his wife reportedly notified the court that he would defend himself by claiming that a high caffeine intake, from soft drinks, energy drinks and diet pills, made him temporarily insane and unable to form the requisite criminal intent to kill his wife. During opening statements, however, his attorney apparently…
-
CMAJ Editorial Urges Energy Drink Regulation
“Caffeine-loaded energy drinks have now crossed the line from beverages to drugs delivered as tasty syrups,” opines a July 26, 2010, Canadian Medical Association Journal editorial, which recommends “strict regulations” and warning labels comparable to those required for caffeine tablets. According to the authors, these sweetened beverages pose a unique health risk to adolescents, 73 percent…
-
Schumer Urges FTC to Investigate Alcoholic-Energy Drinks
U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) has asked the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to investigate the marketing of certain caffeinated malt beverages that “seem to be explicitly designed to attract underage drinkers” and to determine whether new enforcement actions are warranted. In a July 12, 2010, press release, Schumer singled out popular drinks “that appear hip…
-
Anneli Rufus, “Why Caffeine Is the Perfect Addiction for a Worker Bee Society,” AlterNet, May 19, 2010
This article by book author Anneli Rufus discusses a recently issued scientific study that purports to show that caffeine can “significantly reduce [] the number of errors” made by shift workers and can, in fact, be more effective at preventing errors than a nap. Rufus further explores how widespread U.S. consumers’ alleged addiction to coffee,…