News
Attorney General, 15 other states, urge federal investigation of caffeinated alcohol beverage content
By Press Release
Feb 21, 2008 - 6:50:33 PM

Attorney General Richard Blumenthal, joined by 15 attorneys general in a letter today, urged the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) to take immediate action to investigate allegations that Sparks and Sparks Plus alcoholic energy drinks contain excessive levels of caffeine.

The letter also requests TTB to determine if the alcohol content in Sparks alcoholic energy drink, reportedly 6 percent, is actually higher than the amount disclosed on the label.

The multi-state letter was prompted by a recent news report that
independent laboratory tests found that 16 ounce cans of Sparks and Sparks Plus alcoholic energy drinks contain 214 mg and 215 mg of caffeine respectively.

TTB limits caffeine in alcoholic drinks to 200 parts per million, but the caffeine reportedly found in Sparks and Sparks Plus are more than two times the allowable limit. Attorneys general who obtained the laboratory reports discovered that the laboratory also found that Sparks 6.0 actually contained 6.97 percent alcohol by volume. Federal law requires malt beverage containers to display truthful and accurate statements of alcohol content.

Blumenthal’s office has repeatedly urged action by federal officials, as well as beverage companies, to investigate claims involving caffeinated alcohol drinks or remove certain drinks from store shelves that may appeal to young drinkers.

“Federal officials should crack down on potentially dangerous misleading claims about drinks combining caffeine and alcohol,” Blumenthal said. “Recent information raises serious questions about caffeine and alcohol levels in Sparks beverages. These drinks can create an illusion of alertness, masking the impairing impact of alcohol. Sparks is one of a growing number of beverages that combine caffeine and alcohol – a possible recipe for disaster. If federal officials are lax or laggard, states must act to protect against alcoholic drinks that dangerously combine caffeine.”

Attorneys general signing the TTB letter are part of the National
Association of Attorneys General Youth Access to Alcohol Committee. The Committee Committee has been focusing on issues related to alcopops and alcoholic energy drinks that are popular among young drinkers.

Attorneys general highlighted recent findings by Dr. Mary Claire O’Brien in a Wake Forest University study of college students. The study found that college students, including underage students, who drank alcoholic energy drinks were more likely to engage in heavy drinking and to have significantly higher prevalence of alcohol-related consequences, like sexual assault and physical injury, than those college drinkers who did not mix alcohol with energy drinks.

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