WASHINGTON – Energy drink manufacturers are back on the hot seat as a trio of Democratic senators take on what they deem is an unhealthy and unsafe product, the Washington Post reports. Sens. Richard Durbin (D-IL), Edward Markey (D-MA) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) refer to themselves as “veterans of the tobacco wars” for their work on banning smoking on airplanes and successfully suing the industry for not being honest with the public about smoking’s harmful effects.
Recently, these senators interrogated energy drink executives during a hearing, calling on the companies to keep minors from consuming the products. The senators have asked the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to look into the safety of the beverages. The trio has also requested high school and college sports groups to talk with players about the risks of using energy drinks while exercising. Now they are going after the energy drink industry’s advertising tactics, which the congressmen claim is aimed at minors.
The senators launched their campaign after last year’s death of a young teen who had downed two 24-ounce Monster energy drinks within a day. “It struck me that we were back into the same problem” with energy beverages as with smoking, said Durbin. Minors have no idea that energy drinks “had never been tested for safety or effectiveness” by the government.
The energy drink industry is fighting back with claims that teens often drink far more caffeine in soda, tea and coffee than through its products. Monster Beverage in fact told senators during the hearing that its products have around 10 milligrams of caffeine per ounce, 50% less than the caffeine in most coffee sold in coffeehouses.
While Blumenthal grants that energy drinks are not as threatening to minors as cigarettes are, he’s still not willing to back down on curtailing how the industry advertises. “Tobacco kills the consumer,” he said. “Energy drinks can be bad for kids, but they are not as lethal as tobacco. Nor are they as addictive.”
Others outside of Congress have expressed concern on minors consuming energy drinks. A New York county passed an ordinance in April that prohibits the sale of energy beverages to those under 18 in county parks and also restricts advertising of those products to that age group. Meanwhile, Casey’s General Store has adopted a policy of not selling energy shots and pills to minors.