University and political officials are concerned that companies selling caffeinated alcoholic beverages are directly targeting underage drinkers.
Phusion Projects LLC, the manufacturer of the famed “black-out in a can” beverage Four Loko, is one such company. From senators, to school officials, to health staff and police officers, many people are now pointing to Four Loko for directly targeting underage drinkers.
Besides their marketing design, the content of Four Loko, a mix of alcohol and caffeine, have recently become the subject of much public scrutiny.
School officials across the nation have expressed grave concerns that the drink, most notorious for its large amounts of potent stimulants such as caffeine, gaurana, and taurine, and a 12 percent alcohol content, is dangerous.
Harvard and Boston University were two of several schools to send out mass e-mails to their student body advising them to steer clear of the beverage.
A 23.5-ounce can of Four Loko is equivalent to six standard servings of alcohol and five cups of coffee, according to the Harvard mass e-mail. The mix can be deadly, reported the Boston University Student Health Office, as the stimulating effects of caffeine disable the body’s natural defense response to shut down when too much alcohol has been consumed.
Passing out stops drinkers from consuming more alcohol and acts as the body’s defense. This capacity is disabled with caffeinated alcoholic drinks.
In addition to school officials, state officials such as attorneys general from Utah, Connecticut, and Guam have written a joint letter to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) commissioner, asking for an investigation into the safety of mixing caffeine with alcohol, pointing out studies that have found the mix to be harmful.
The drink is not currently monitored by the FDA.
For many, the brightly colored yellow, purple, and red cans, covered with big, bold, bubble letters reading “Four,” screams of non-alcoholic energy drinks marketed to young people. Political officials such as New York Sen. Chuck Schumer have taken it upon themselves to speak out against such marketing campaigns.
“The marketing of drinks Four Loko, Joose, and others like them lead one to believe that manufacturers are trying to mislead legal-age adults while actively courting underage drinkers. This is dishonest, irresponsible, and wrong,” said Schumer in his call to the Federal Trade Commission to investigate the drinks’ advertising campaign.
The Four Loko website claims that the advertising is not meant to target underage drinkers.
“Flavored alcoholic beverages are nothing new; today bubble gum, raspberry and blueberry vodkas are all on the market—all with several times the alcohol content of Four Loko or Four Maxed,” reports the Phusion Projects website, responding to allegations that its flavors are marketed towards underage drinkers.
Phusion Projects LLC, the manufacturer of the famed “black-out in a can” beverage Four Loko, is one such company. From senators, to school officials, to health staff and police officers, many people are now pointing to Four Loko for directly targeting underage drinkers.
Besides their marketing design, the content of Four Loko, a mix of alcohol and caffeine, have recently become the subject of much public scrutiny.
School officials across the nation have expressed grave concerns that the drink, most notorious for its large amounts of potent stimulants such as caffeine, gaurana, and taurine, and a 12 percent alcohol content, is dangerous.
Harvard and Boston University were two of several schools to send out mass e-mails to their student body advising them to steer clear of the beverage.
A 23.5-ounce can of Four Loko is equivalent to six standard servings of alcohol and five cups of coffee, according to the Harvard mass e-mail. The mix can be deadly, reported the Boston University Student Health Office, as the stimulating effects of caffeine disable the body’s natural defense response to shut down when too much alcohol has been consumed.
Passing out stops drinkers from consuming more alcohol and acts as the body’s defense. This capacity is disabled with caffeinated alcoholic drinks.
In addition to school officials, state officials such as attorneys general from Utah, Connecticut, and Guam have written a joint letter to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) commissioner, asking for an investigation into the safety of mixing caffeine with alcohol, pointing out studies that have found the mix to be harmful.
The drink is not currently monitored by the FDA.
For many, the brightly colored yellow, purple, and red cans, covered with big, bold, bubble letters reading “Four,” screams of non-alcoholic energy drinks marketed to young people. Political officials such as New York Sen. Chuck Schumer have taken it upon themselves to speak out against such marketing campaigns.
“The marketing of drinks Four Loko, Joose, and others like them lead one to believe that manufacturers are trying to mislead legal-age adults while actively courting underage drinkers. This is dishonest, irresponsible, and wrong,” said Schumer in his call to the Federal Trade Commission to investigate the drinks’ advertising campaign.
The Four Loko website claims that the advertising is not meant to target underage drinkers.
“Flavored alcoholic beverages are nothing new; today bubble gum, raspberry and blueberry vodkas are all on the market—all with several times the alcohol content of Four Loko or Four Maxed,” reports the Phusion Projects website, responding to allegations that its flavors are marketed towards underage drinkers.
