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Anheuser_Busch Defends Spykes

Attorneys General Charge the Drink is Aimed at Minors

May 11, 2007

• Energy Drinks Can Lead To Caffeine "Overdose" • Anheuser-Busch Ends Alcoholic Energy Drink Sales • Feds Pressed To Probe Alcohol 'Energy' Drinks • Anheuser-Busch Spikes Spykes • Anheuser_Busch Defends Spykes • States Blast Bud Extra, Spykes, TILT • Experts Offer Tips on Teenage Binge Drinking • Alcohol Ads Linked to Teen Drinking • MADD: Teen Access to Alcohol Widespread --- • News for Parents

Anheuser-Busch is defending itself against charges that it is targeting young people with alcoholic energy drinks like Bud Extra, Spykes and TILT.

The drinks are spiked with caffeine and other stimulants but consumers aren't warned about the health risks posed by the products, according to the attorneys general of 30 states.

But in a lengthy statement, an Anheuser-Busch executive said that Spykes was created for adults as "a lower alcohol content alternative to hard liquors that come in flavors like apple, lemon, peach, orange, raspberry, pear, banana, and pomegranate, and which are mixed with other beverages to create flavored drinks such as chocolate and apple-flavored martinis."

"Those who criticize Spykes fundamentally misunderstand the behavior of many illegal underage drinkers," said Francine I. Katz, an Anheuser-Busch vice president. "They drink for instant impact."

"The fact that Spykes are sold in 2-ounce bottles and have a total alcohol content equivalent to only one-third of a glass of wine makes it much less likely that illegal underage drinkers will choose Spykes as opposed to similarly colored and similarly flavored products that are 70 to 80 proof hard liquor," Katz said.

In their letter to Anheuser-Busch, the 30 state attorneys general noted that medical doctors and public health professionals have warned that combining caffeinated energy drinks with alcohol – a practice popular among young people – poses significant health and safety risks.

The stimulant in the energy drink may skew a person’s sense of alertness – without reducing the adverse effect of the alcohol on that person’s motor skills or ability to react quickly.

“These alcoholic energy drinks are promoted and packaged in a way that is highly attractive to underage youth,” said Attorney General Cuomo.

“Drinks such as Spykes appeal to children but their caffeine content dangerously masks the effects of the alcohol. If Anheuser-Busch is going to hold itself out as a partner in the fight against underage drinking, then it must stop marketing these types of drinks that so strongly appeal to underage youth.”

But Katz said Anheuser-Busch was being unfairly singled out for criticism.

"There are more than 50 of these products in this category in all colors and flavors, most of which are hard-liquor beverages that have three to four times greater concentration of alcohol by volume than Spykes," she said. "If the attorneys general believe that 50 ml bottles are a problem because their size makes them easily concealable, this standard should apply not just to malt-based products, but to hard liquor as well. If such a uniform standard were the rule, Anheuser-Busch would be happy to comply."

Katz also disputed the comments about caffeine.

"Adults have been drinking rum and cola, espresso martinis, Black Russians and Irish Coffee for decades. ... To our knowledge, the attorneys general have not written letters to sellers of espresso vodkas or other caffeinated hard liquors.

"In fact, earlier this week, a letter was signed by many of the same attorneys general praising Beam Global for its efforts to address underage drinking. This is the same company that markets Starbucks Coffee Liqueur, which is 20 percent alcohol by volume and contains no warning about mixing caffeine and alcohol," she said.

Katz did not comment on the criticism of other Anheuser-Busch products, includingTILT and Bud Extra.

The attorneys general said these types of alcohol energy drinks must include a warning to consumers about the risks of mixing energy drinks with alcohol. The letter to Anheuser-Busch raises specific concerns about the illegible health warnings on the Spykes product.

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