U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer urged officials to look into a well-known influencer-made energy drink that has almost twice as much caffeine as a Red Bull and is allegedly being sold to youngsters.
Given its high caffeine concentration – 200 mg of caffeine per 12 ounces (comparable to the amount in six Coke cans or almost two Red Bulls) – Schumer suggested that the Food and Drug Administration look into PRIME Energy, a beverage company founded by YouTube personalities Logan Paul and KSI last year.
“Who is the main target of PRIME? It’s kids under 18,” Schumer said Sunday said at a press conference in New York City. “Kids see it on their phones as they scroll, and then they actually have a need for it.” “And the problem here is that the product has so much caffeine in it that it puts Red Bull to shame.”
“Buyer and parents beware because it’s a serious health concern for the kids it so feverishly targets”, Schumer said.
PRIME Energy is not suggested for children under the age of 18, women who are pregnant or breastfeeding, or anyone who are sensitive to caffeine, according to a disclaimer on the company’s website. A similar-looking hydration drink is also offered by PRIME in non-caffeinated form.
“Because the product is billed as a hydration and sports drink in its other, near identical form, kids are likely to ingest cans of this stuff with the parents being unaware,” Schumer said.
According to the FDA, excessive caffeine use can result in sleeplessness, nervousness, anxiety, a rapid heartbeat, an upset stomach, nausea, headache, and a general sensation of gloom. Although there is no established limit for youngsters, the administration claims that healthy people can drink up to 400 mg of caffeine per day without suffering harmful side effects.
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, there is “no proven safe dose of caffeine for children,” and youngsters under the age of 12 should avoid consuming it. The association also recommends kids and teenagers shouldn’t drink any energy drinks and that adolescents between the ages of 12 and 18 shouldn’t consume more than 100 mg of caffeine per day.
