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Four Loko concedes caffeine 'danger'
Source: Agencies |
November 18, 2010, Thursday
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THE manufacturer of popular caffeinated alcohol drink Four Loko said on Tuesday it will remove the caffeine from its products, pulling the blend off the market just as the US Food and Drug Administration is poised to ban it.
Phusion Projects said the company will remove caffeine and two other ingredients from its products.
The announcement came as the FDA was expected to find as early as yesterday that caffeine is an unsafe food additive to alcoholic drinks. That finding essentially would ban Four Loko and other drinks like it.
The FDA ruling "should be the nail in the coffin of these dangerous and toxic drinks," Senator Chuck Schumer, who has pushed the Obama administration to ban the beverages, said on Tuesday.
Federal regulators would not confirm Schumer's announcement that a ban was imminent, but Four Loko's statement suggests the company believed it had little choice but to reformulate its drinks.
The statement by the company's co-founders said they were removing caffeine from the drinks after unsuccessfully trying to deal with what they called "a difficult and politically-charged regulatory environment at both the state and federal levels."
"We have repeatedly contended - and still believe, as do many people throughout the country - that the combination of alcohol and caffeine is safe," said Chris Hunter, Jeff Wright and Jaisen Freeman, who identify themselves as Phusion's three co-founders and managing partners.
The statement did not mention several recent incidents in which college students were hospitalized after drinking the beverage. In response to such incidents, four states - Washington, Michigan, Utah and Oklahoma - have banned the beverages.
FDA spokeswoman Siobhan DeLancey would not confirm any upcoming action but said the agency recognizes "this very important public health issue" and will announce results of the review when it is complete.
Phusion Projects said the company will remove caffeine and two other ingredients from its products.
The announcement came as the FDA was expected to find as early as yesterday that caffeine is an unsafe food additive to alcoholic drinks. That finding essentially would ban Four Loko and other drinks like it.
The FDA ruling "should be the nail in the coffin of these dangerous and toxic drinks," Senator Chuck Schumer, who has pushed the Obama administration to ban the beverages, said on Tuesday.
Federal regulators would not confirm Schumer's announcement that a ban was imminent, but Four Loko's statement suggests the company believed it had little choice but to reformulate its drinks.
The statement by the company's co-founders said they were removing caffeine from the drinks after unsuccessfully trying to deal with what they called "a difficult and politically-charged regulatory environment at both the state and federal levels."
"We have repeatedly contended - and still believe, as do many people throughout the country - that the combination of alcohol and caffeine is safe," said Chris Hunter, Jeff Wright and Jaisen Freeman, who identify themselves as Phusion's three co-founders and managing partners.
The statement did not mention several recent incidents in which college students were hospitalized after drinking the beverage. In response to such incidents, four states - Washington, Michigan, Utah and Oklahoma - have banned the beverages.
FDA spokeswoman Siobhan DeLancey would not confirm any upcoming action but said the agency recognizes "this very important public health issue" and will announce results of the review when it is complete.
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