Monster and other energy drinks come under fire

A 14-year-old Maryland girl, Anais Fournier, died of a heart attack from caffeine toxicity after drinking just two cans of Monster energy drinks, and her parents are suing the company. As a result, the FDA is investigating that death and four others the agency believes may be linked to Monster drinks.
Bad business news spreads fast these days, and less than 24 hours after the FDA warning, Goldman Sachs downgraded the maker of the drinks, Monster Beverage, from its conviction buy list to buy.

The company’s shares, which had almost doubled in the preceding two years, fell 7 percent on the news.

That’s the short version of the story, but there’s a lot more to it.


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A Brief History of Monster Drinks
You can’t miss Monster drinks on the shelves; with the goth-inspired logo, lurid colors, and names like Java Monster, Lo-Carb Monster, Monster Rehab, and others, they tend to stand out. Ads in magazines and on billboards have slogans like “unleash the beast” and “the meanest energy supplement on the planet.” And Monster banners adorn pretty much every big extreme sports event.

The company, based in Corona, California, was formerly Hansen Beverage Company, primarily known for innocuous fruity drinks popular with kids. In January, the company changed its name to Monster and its stock ticker to MNST in an effort to capitalize on the success of its energy drinks division.

Energy drinks make up only a tiny portion of the beverage market, but right now it’s the fastest-growing segment. And although the drinks have fine-print warnings against consumption by those under 18, popularity among preteens and teens is one of the reasons for the growth. Energy drink sales rose by more than 16 percent last year and Monster was in the lead, with 35 percent of the market. Just last year Monster passed Red Bull, which has been around longer, with 30 percent, and Rockstar at 19 percent.

How Much Caffeine, Really?

The amount of caffeine in energy drinks is hard to pin down, because many are marketed as supplements, rather than as foods, allowing them to wiggle around FDA regulations and labeling laws. The FDA does not allow soda to have more than 0.02 percent caffeine, but energy drinks aren’t subject to this limit.

A 24-ounce can of Monster Energy Drink supposedly has 240 mg of caffeine, approximately equivalent to seven cups of coffee. But health experts have voiced concerns about energy drinks over the past few years, saying the caffeine content can be as high as 550 mg.

Energy Drinks and Teens: A Serious Threat

Health experts have been trying to get our attention about the issue of energy drink consumption by kids for some time. In 2011, the Journal of Pediatrics published a scary report titled “Health Effects of Energy Drinks on Children, Adolescents, and Young Adults” warning that the consequences included “palpitations, seizures, strokes, and even sudden death.” The authors also specifically warned parents that the drinks could be dangerous for kids with heart problems, diabetes, or ADHD.

This year, the National Council of Sports and Fitness issued a report, Youth and Energy Drinks, warning that kids confuse energy drinks like Monster with the sports drinks marketed by their sports heroes.

This isn’t just an American problem;+ in fact we may be behind the eight ball in documenting the issue. The Medical Journal of Australia recently published a study recording 297 reported incidents of caffeine reactions from energy drinks. The median age of those affected: 17.

In other countries, various movements are afoot to change the way energy drinks are marketed and sold. In Canada, the drinks were recently reclassified as food, and thus are subject to regulation by Health Canada. Meanwhile, Mexico is working to ban the sales of energy drinks to those under 18. It will be interesting to see if there’s any movement in either of these directions here in the U.S.

A Looming Marketing Issue?

Over the years, the marketing of risky products such as alcohol and cigarettes to kids and teens has come under fire numerous times. Organizations such as Johns Hopkins’ Center for Alcohol Marketing and Youth and Alcohol Justice (formerly the Marin Institute) have been created to tackle the issue. As recently as 2011, the CDC was citing the negative effects of cigarette advertising campaigns aimed at teenagers. Over the years, and over the protests of powerful companies, many targeted marketing campaigns have been put to rest for this reason.

Too bad she had to go that way! Water still remains the number one true refreshing and energising drink especially when refrigerated.