(From the Financial Times) US regulators are launching an investigation into the health effects of popular energy drinks that combine both caffeine and alcohol, in the latest example of the Obama administration’s readiness to challenge consumer industry practices.
Both Anheuser Busch, the largest US brewer, and its rival MillerCoors, have agreed over the past year to remove caffeine, guarana and other stimulants from their Tilt, Bud Extra and Sparks alcoholic beverages, partly in response to the threat of litigation.
The US Food and Drug Administration said on Friday that it had contacted almost 30 other manufacturers with a view to examining “the safety and legality” of their products.
Joshua Sharfstein, deputy commissioner of food and drugs, cited reports that 26 per cent of college students were drinking mixtures of caffeine and alcohol. “The increasing popularity of consumption of caffeinated alcoholic beverages [by students] and reports of potential health and safety issues necessitate that we look seriously at the scientific evidence,” he said.
Read more here: US probes safety of energy drinks