Complain about a product or service

Feds Pressed To Probe Alcohol 'Energy' Drinks

Caffeine and alcohol don't mix, state attorneys general argue

By Mark Huffman
ConsumerAffairs.com

August 22, 2007

At issue is the how the beverages are marketed. In a letter to the U.S. Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB), attorneys general from 28 states complained that ads for these drinks suggest they are healthy and are aimed at teenagers and young adults, many of whom are below the legal drinking age.

“Non-alcoholic energy drinks are very popular with today's youth,” said Oregon Attorney General Hardy Myers. “Beverage companies are unconscionably appealing to young drinkers with claims about the stimulating properties of alcoholic energy drinks. We urge TTB to take action to stop companies from making misleading claims.”

In a letter to TTB Administrator John Manfreda, Myers and the other attorneys general said that alcoholic energy drinks mimic non-alcoholic energy beverages that are very popular with youth. They warn that alcoholic energy drinks pose serious health and safety risks.

According to medical researchers and public health professionals, the stimulants in alcoholic energy drinks may cause an intoxicated person to falsely believe that he or she can continue to drink and function normally.

Myers noted that aggressive marketing campaigns claim these alcoholic energy beverages increase a person's stamina or can have an energizing effect.

For instance, BudExtra has an advertising slogan, “You can sleep when you're thirty” and makes claims of renewed strength through the guarana fruit known for its ability to increase vitality.

“However, the ads do not mention the potentially severe, adverse consequences of mixing caffeine or other stimulants and alcohol,” Myers added.

The attorneys general also requested a TTB investigation into the makeup of alcoholic energy drinks and other flavored malt beverages to determine whether, based on the percentage of distilled spirits contained in the drinks, they are properly classified as malt beverages under federal law.

The malt beverage classification, in many states, enables cheaper and broader sale of these drinks, making them more readily available to young people than distilled spirits.

Report Your Experience
If you've had a bad experience -- or a good one -- with a consumer product or service, we'd like to hear about it. All complaints are reviewed by class action attorneys and are considered for publication on our site. Knowledge is power! Help spread the word. File your consumer report now.