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Four Loko Faces Bans

On November 17, the FDA released official letters of warning to companies that mix alcohol and caffeine in beverages such as the Four Loko, Joose and Max, Moonshot, Core High Gravity HG, Core High Gravity HG Orange, and Lemon Lime Core Spiked.
The FDA believes that the addition of caffeine to these beverages makes them harmful, and therefore in violation of the law.  Principal Deputy Commissioner Dr. Joshua Sharfstein said, that “There is evidence that the combination of caffeine and alcohol in these products pose a public health concern.”
The warning letters give each company fifteen days to address the exact measures that will be taken to fix the violation and make the beverages safe.  Companies are permitted to challenge the FDA and present their reasoning for the challenge and any other supporting information.  However, if the FDA believes that the danger still exists, it may seize products or it may prevent production of the products until the violation is corrected.
These letters of warning follow the November 16 announcement by Phusion Projects, LLC, (the manufacturers of Four Loko, the most popular of these energy drinks) of the company’s decision to remove caffeine, guarana and taurine from their energy drinks.  Four Loko has come under fire again after nine students at Central Washington University were hospitalized after drinking Four Loko, reports NPR.
Ramapo College in New Jersey banned the energy drink after twenty students were hospitalized in the space of a month.  Other colleges, such as Boston College, Northeastern University, and Harvard University, have merely warned students about the effects of energy drinks containing alcohol and caffeine.  The state of Michigan banned all caffeinated alcoholic drinks, and was soon followed by Massachusetts’ emergency state regulation.
Four Loko is either 6% or 12% alcohol, per can, depending on state regulations.  The drink is generally sold in 23.5 ounce cans and is available in eight flavors: Orange, Fruit Punch, Lemonade, Cranberry Lemonade, Grape, Watermelon, Bleu Raspberry and Lemon Lime.  Phusion Projects, LLC, compares the amount of caffeine present in a Four Loko beverage to the amount of caffeine present in “a tall Starbucks coffee.”
Essentially, drinking one can of Four Loko is the same as drinking five cans of light beer and one cup of coffee. The drink has been dubbed “blackout in a can” by students nationwide, who sometimes drink cans of Four Loko until they black out.
Consumers are suprised, however, by the investigation on drinks other than Four Loko, such as Moonshot.  They claim that Moonshot is nowhere within the same league as Four Loko because its alcohol content is lower.  According to the Boston Globe, Moonshot is only 5% alcohol by volume and only has 69 milligrams of caffeine.
The issue that remains, however, is the mixture of caffeine and alcohol, especially in the same beverage.  The danger of mixing caffeine and alcohol is that whoever is drinking becomes a “wide awake drunk,” according to the director of health at Northeastern University.  The caffeine, which is a stimulant, masks the depressant effects of alcohol.  As a result, people continue drinking after they would have stopped in any other circumstance.  Still, Four Loko is appealing because it is relatively inexpensive; it is sold at $2.50 per can.  Also, students claim to enjoy the buzz of drinking a Four Loko.
Though Phusion Projects, LLC, has complied with the FDA’s requests, the company believes that is has done nothing wrong.  There are seven warnings featured on each can of Four Loko, and ID is required for purchasing the drinks.  The company also believes that the combination of caffeine and alcohol is not dangerous.  Also, they maintain that Four Loko contains less alcohol than hard liquor and thus should not be classified as such.  Phusion Projects, LLC, which has been accused of using flashy colors on the cans of Four Loko to increase the appeal of the drink, claim that the red, blue, yellow, and purple on the cans are no brighter than the colors that appear on a can of Redbull or Monster.
To offset the bad publicity, the company is promoting responsible drinking.  These materials can be found on the company’s website.  Phusion Projects, LLC, has also contacted colleges about the company’s desire to work with schools to promote safe drinking.  Hopefully, students will realize the effects of caffeinated alcoholic beverages.

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