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Four Loko slashes caffeine
To the dismay of its advocates and the delight of its critics, Phusion Projects announced Tuesday that it will remove caffeine, guarana and taurine from Four Loko, eliminating three of the four contributors to the popular beverage's now-infamous name.
The announcement came after weeks of bans and warnings on local, state and national levels. In a Wednesday press release, the Food and Drug Administration lauded the company’s act as “a positive step” toward addressing the health risks of combining a stimulant and depressant in a single beverage.
After reviewing and testing the mixture of caffeine and alcohol, the FDA announced the presence of safety risks associated with such drinks. It also sent warning letters to Phusion Projects and three other beverage manufacturers — Charge Beverages, New Century Brewing and United Brands Company — outlining the companies’ violations regarding “an unsafe food additive,” which in these cases refers to caffeine. The FDA threatened to take legal action if the companies do not comply.
According to health experts, the combination of caffeine and alcohol magnifies the effects of intoxication, as the stimulant masks the effects of the depressant — causing consumers to drink more.
Pointing to Irish coffees and rum-and-Coke combinations, Phusion Projects released a statement Tuesday standing by the safety and popularity of combining caffeine with alcohol.
According to Penn’s Drug and Alcohol Resource Team President and College senior Jessica Heidenberg, apart from the “conflicting” effects on the body, Four Loko poses a threat because “the sweet taste of the drink — as opposed to the bitter taste of most alcohol — makes it easy to consume in large quantities.”
DART is a student-led organization whose goal is to serve as an educational and informational resource for students regarding drug and alcohol consumption and awareness. However, its programs this semester have not yet addressed the recent popularity of energy drinks with alcohol.
Heidenberg added that even with the removal of caffeine, “the can still contains roughly five alcoholic drinks, making it still a dangerous beverage to drink because students might not realize how much alcohol they are consuming.”
Washington, Michigan, Oklahoma and Utah have imposed state bans on consumption of the beverage. Earlier this month, the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board discouraged its licensees from promoting Four Loko. On Nov. 9, the Malt Beverage Distributors Association of Pennsylvania sent a similar warning to its distributors regarding the sale of the product.
“All the hype surrounding Four Loko makes me want to try it even more,” said a College sophomore who wished to remain anonymous because he is underage. Having witnessed several of his friends experience the negative effects of these drinks, he believes its popularity is a result of the prevalence of drinking on college campuses in general.
“College students drink to get drunk and [Four Loko] does a really good job of that,” he said.
However, he added, its elimination of caffeine will likely not impact the consumption of caffeinated alcoholic beverages.
“You don’t have to be smart to mix an energy drink with vodka,” he said. “These drinks are the same exact thing — they’re just pre-mixed instead.”