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US clamp-down on alcoholic energy drinks

Nature (2010)Cite this article

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Food and Drug Administration warns companies over drinks mixing alcohol with caffeine.

The United States has effectively banned drinks manufactured to contain both alcohol and caffeine. On 17 November, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) sent warning letters to four companies saying that they were breaking food safety law by marketing caffeinated alcoholic beverages (CABs). Drinks such as Four Loko, which combine caffeine with high-alcohol beer, have become hugely popular on US university campuses. But the caffeine in these drinks is an "unsafe food additive", the agency wrote. It has given the companies 15 days to remove the caffeine from their products or risk having the FDA seize them, or block their sale with a court-ordered injunction.

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Authors
  1. Meredith Wadman
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CDC factsheet on CABs

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Scientists' letter to the FDA

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Wadman, M. US clamp-down on alcoholic energy drinks. Nature (2010). https://doi.org/10.1038/news.2010.622

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/news.2010.622

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