Alderman Proposes Banning Energy Drinks To People Under 21

By Chuck Sudo in Food on Nov 16, 2012 3:20PM

From the Nanny state files: Ald. George Cardenas (12th) is proposing banning the sale of energy drinks to people under the age of 21. Cardenas told the Sun-Times he’s concerned about news reports linking recent deaths across the country to brands such as Rockstar Energy Drink, 5 Star Energy Drink, and Monster Energy Drink.

Cardenas wants to bring in experts to testify before the City Council Health Committee he chairs in order to give the proposed ban more heft.

“If the experts say the ingredients are such that young people are more susceptible to these types of stimulants and their bodies can’t handle it, we have to act on that. We don’t want to have a situation where children are at risk.”

On Thursday the FDA released collected injury and fatality reports filed with the agency related to energy drinks—to say that 5 Hour Energy dominates the filings is an understatement. [Read it here. (PDF)] 5-Hour Energy CEO Manoj Bhargava denied his company’s heavily caffeinated shots had anything to do with the deaths of 13 people in the past four years. Rockstar Energy Drink has been cited in 13 deaths dating back to 2006, while Consumer Reports released a story in October that energy drink companies often underestimate the caffeine levels in their beverages. (Here’s a handy chart of caffeine levels in various energy drinks.)

Cardenas said he doesn’t want to “ban anything. I want to do the right thing.”

“I don’t want kids dying because of something that shouldn’t be in their hands,” he said.