FDA to Examine Alcohol Energy Drinks

Tuesday November 17, 2009

Are those new alcohol energy drinks really safe? Doesn't adding caffeine to an alcoholic beverage encourage the consumption of even more alcohol? The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is looking at the safety and legality of alcoholic beverages that contain caffeine as an additive.

At the request of several state attorney generals, the FDA decided to examine the health and safety issues surrounding the popular beverages. The FDA sent letters to 30 manufacturers of the beverages giving them 30 days to show proof that the drinks are safe.

"The increasing popularity of consumption of caffeinated alcoholic beverages by college students and reports of potential health and safety issues necessitates that we look seriously at the scientific evidence as soon as possible," said Joshua Sharfstein, M.D., principal deputy commissioner of food and drugs, in a news release.

An estimated 26% of U.S. college students use the combination of caffeine and alcohol, the FDA said.

Generally Recognized as Safe?

Under federal law, the FDA can deem substances added to food as unsafe unless that substance is "generally recognized as safe" or the substance was given a prior FDA sanction. The FDA wants the beverage manufacturers to explain why they decided that adding caffeine to an alcoholic beverage was safe or sanctioned.

The FDA news release said the agency was "unaware of the basis upon which manufacturers may have concluded that the use of caffeine in alcoholic beverages is generally recognized as safe or prior sanctioned."

The agency also noted that in the past year, Anheuser-Busch and Miller agreed to discontinue their popular caffeinated alcoholic beverages (Tilt and Bud Extra, and Sparks) and agreed to not produce any caffeinated alcohol beverages in the future.

News Source: FDA to Examine the Safety of Caffeinated Alcoholic Beverages

College Drinking:

^{Photo: Anheuser-Busch}