FDA Goes After Caffeinated Alcoholic Beverages
News flash: Adding caffeine to alcoholic drinks may lead consumers to underestimate how drunk they are. The Food and Drug Administration is getting to the bottom of this potential health issue by ordering close to 30 manufacturers of caffeinated adult beverages to prove that their drinks are safe -- or else.
News flash: Adding caffeine to alcoholic drinks may lead consumers to underestimate how drunk they are. The Food and Drug Administration is getting to the bottom of this potential health issue by ordering close to 30 manufacturers of caffeinated adult beverages to prove that their drinks are safe — or else. –KA
WAIT BEFORE YOU GO...The New York Times:
In a statement, the Food and Drug Administration said it told nearly 30 manufacturers of the drinks that unless they could provide clear evidence of safety, the agency would “take appropriate action to ensure that the products are removed from the marketplace.” Officials did not say how long such a determination might take.
The drinks, which combine malt liquor or other spirits with caffeine and fruit juices at alcohol concentrations up to about 10 percent, have become increasingly popular among college students. In a news conference, Dr. Joshua M. Sharfstein, the agency’s principal deputy commissioner, said consumption was associated with increased risk of serious injury, drunken driving, sexual assault and other dangerous behavior.
This year, the ground feels uncertain — facts are buried and those in power are working to keep them hidden. Now more than ever, independent journalism must go beneath the surface.
At Truthdig, we don’t just report what's happening — we investigate how and why. We follow the threads others leave behind and uncover the forces shaping our future.
Your tax-deductible donation fuels journalism that asks harder questions and digs where others won’t.
Don’t settle for surface-level coverage.
Unearth what matters. Help dig deeper.
Donate now.
Health & Wellness
Adults who consume alcohol legally and responsibly outside of work aren’t penalized by employers. It should be no different for marijuana.
Global Voices
Why women in India who wanted a ban on alcohol now regret it.
America's prohibition on pot has wasted billions of dollars and unjustly harmed millions of lives, all while furthering racist policies.
If we taught men better ways of "being a man," we wouldn't have to teach women to cover their drinks.
Politics
Counseling and other services allow women to reclaim control and even develop a new purpose in life.
Sufferers of multiple sclerosis who consumed hard liquor experienced a degree of relief from disability, researchers report.
You need to be a supporter to comment.
There are currently no responses to this article.
Be the first to respond.