Tag: caffeine
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Class Suit Claims 5-Hour ENERGY® Is Not a Healthy Vitamin Energy Drink
Pennsylvania residents have filed a putative statewide class action in federal court against the company that makes 5-Hour ENERGY® drinks, claiming that they are promoted as a “healthy vitamin-filled energy drink” but are “nothing more than a shot of caffeine.” Thompson v. Innovation Ventures, LLC, No. 13-336 (W.D. Pa., filed March 7, 2013). The plaintiffs…
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Monster Energy Briefs Reporters on Expert Findings in Maryland Teen’s Death
During a recent press conference, counsel for Monster Energy reportedly addressed claims made in a wrongful death lawsuit filed against the company by the parents of a Maryland teenager who allegedly died after consuming the company’s energy drink. The company’s experts have apparently reviewed the medical records in the case and determined that “there is…
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Chicago Council Committee Defers Vote on Energy Drink Ban
During a hearing to discuss a prohibition on energy drinks in the city, a Chicago City Council committee reportedly decided to further consider the matter at a later date before taking a vote. The proposed ordinances include one introduced in January 2013 by Alderman Edward Burke that would prohibit the sale of drinks with 180…
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JAMA Commentaries Focus on Energy Drinks
The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) recently highlighted energy drinks in its December 19, 2012, online issue, where two commentaries discussed caffeine-related adverse events and the risks of mixing energy drinks with alcohol. Authored by Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center infectious disease specialist Kent Sepkowitz, the first viewpoint article notes that “the swift…
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NAD to Investigate 5-Hour Energy® Claims Highlighted in NYT Report
The Council of Better Business Bureaus’ National Advertising Division (NAD) has reportedly decided to review “no crash later” claims made by Living Essentials LLC about its caffeinated energy supplement 5-Hour Energy® after The New York Times published a January 2, 2013, article questioning the scientific evidence behind such assertions. According to media sources, NAD ruled in…
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Health Canada Reclassifies Energy Drinks, Caps Caffeine Content
New Canadian regulations that took effect January 1, 2013, have reclassified energy drinks as food instead of natural health products and capped their caffeine content at 180 mg per serving. First proposed in 2011, the regulations aim to address concerns that consumers imbibing such beverages could exceed the maximum caffeine intake levels recommended by Health…
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FDA Responds to Senators’ Energy Drink Concerns
In response to a series of letters from Senators Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Food and Drug Administration (FDA) officials have confirmed that the agency is currently reviewing the safety of energy drinks containing caffeine and other ingredients that act as stimulants and may require regulatory action if evidence of a health risk is…
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CSPI Targets Caffeinated Snack Food
The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) has written a letter to the Food and Drug Administration’s Office of Compliance, claiming that caffeinated snack foods violate the agency’s determination “that caffeine is generally recognized as safe only in cola-type beverages and only at concentrations at 0.02 percent or less (about 72 mg per…