Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
The FDA Is Being Asked to Look Into Influencer's Energy Drink Wildly Popular With Kids
By admin
Published 2 years ago on
July 10, 2023

Share

Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

An influencer-backed energy drink that has earned viral popularity among children is facing scrutiny from lawmakers and health experts over its potentially dangerous levels of caffeine.

On Sunday, Sen. Charles Schumer called on the Food and Drug Administration to investigate PRIME, a beverage brand founded by the YouTube stars Logan Paul and KSI that has become something of an obsession among the influencers’ legions of young followers.

“One of the summer’s hottest status symbols for kids is not an outfit, or a toy—it’s a beverage,” said Schumer, a Democrat from New York. “But buyer and parents beware because it’s a serious health concern for the kids it so feverishly targets.”

Backed by two of YouTube’s best known stars, PRIME was an immediate sensation when it launched last year, prompting long lines in grocery stores and reports of school yard resale markets.

Advertising itself as zero sugar and vegan, the neon-colored cans are among a growing number of energy drinks with elevated levels of caffeine; in PRIME’s case, 200 milligrams per 12 ounces, equivalent to about half a dozen Coke cans or nearly two Red Bulls.

That high content prompted bans from some schools in the United Kingdom and Australia where some pediatricians warned of possible health impacts on young children such as heart problems, anxiety, and digestive issues.

Company representatives, meanwhile, have defended the product as clearly labeled “not recommended for children under 18.” They sell a separate sports drink, known as PRIME Hydration, which contains no caffeine at all. Representatives for PRIME did not immediately return a request for comment.

But in his letter to the FDA, Schumer claimed there was little noticeable difference in the online marketing of the two drinks – leading many parents to believe they were purchasing a juice for their kids, only to wind up with a “cauldron of caffeine.”

“A simple search on social media for Prime will generate an eye-popping amount of sponsored content, which is advertising,” he wrote. “This content and the claims made should be investigated, along with the ingredients and the caffeine content in the Prime energy drink.”

RELATED TOPICS:

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

Harvard Agrees to Relinquish Early Photos of Slaves, Ending a Long Legal Battle

DON'T MISS

Fed Minutes: Uncertainty ‘Elevated’ as Risks of Higher Inflation and Unemployment Rise

DON'T MISS

Is This Weekend’s 100-Plus Degree Heat a Hint on What’s Coming This Summer?

DON'T MISS

Silence on E. Coli Outbreak Highlights How Trump Team’s Changes Undermine Food Safety

DON'T MISS

COVID’s New Variant May Be Driving Up Cases in Some Parts of the World, WHO Says

DON'T MISS

Fresno Man Pleads Guilty to $1 Million PPP Loan Fraud

DON'T MISS

Iran Hangs a Man Convicted of Spying for Israel

DON'T MISS

California Opens Track-and-Field Finals to More Girls After Success of Trans Athlete

DON'T MISS

US Gun Trafficking Fuels Mexican Cartel Violence and Migration Crisis

DON'T MISS

Bills QB Josh Allen’s Wedding to Hailee Steinfeld Coming Up Fast

UP NEXT

No Yard? No Excuses—You Can Still Grow Your Own Food and Slash Your Grocery Bill

UP NEXT

How to Travel Without a Phone

UP NEXT

Let the Hunt for Fresno County Fruit Trail Delights Begin!

UP NEXT

Explore the Wild Side of Route 66 With These Natural Wonders

UP NEXT

Kim Kardashian Dons a Graduation Cap and Marches Closer to Becoming a Lawyer

UP NEXT

Colts Owner Jim Irsay Remembered for Love of Football, Commitment to Music, Animal Welfare

UP NEXT

What Travelers Should Know About This Messy Memorial Day Weekend

UP NEXT

US Army to Change Transgender Soldiers’ Records to Birth Sex

UP NEXT

The Secret to Restaurant-Style Chicken at Home

UP NEXT

7 Epic Travel Experiences to Book in 2025, According to Travel Experts

Silence on E. Coli Outbreak Highlights How Trump Team’s Changes Undermine Food Safety

2 hours ago

COVID’s New Variant May Be Driving Up Cases in Some Parts of the World, WHO Says

2 hours ago

Fresno Man Pleads Guilty to $1 Million PPP Loan Fraud

2 hours ago

Iran Hangs a Man Convicted of Spying for Israel

3 hours ago

California Opens Track-and-Field Finals to More Girls After Success of Trans Athlete

3 hours ago

US Gun Trafficking Fuels Mexican Cartel Violence and Migration Crisis

3 hours ago

Bills QB Josh Allen’s Wedding to Hailee Steinfeld Coming Up Fast

4 hours ago

Tate Brothers Face Rape and Trafficking Charges in the UK

4 hours ago

Elon Musk Criticizes Trump’s ‘Big Beautiful Bill,’ a Fracture in a Key Relationship

4 hours ago

Different Night, Same Score: Punchless Giants Fall to the Tigers, 3-1.

4 hours ago

Harvard Agrees to Relinquish Early Photos of Slaves, Ending a Long Legal Battle

BOSTON — Harvard University will relinquish 175-year-old photographs believed to be the earliest taken of enslaved people to a South Carolin...

1 hour ago

1 hour ago

Harvard Agrees to Relinquish Early Photos of Slaves, Ending a Long Legal Battle

1 hour ago

Fed Minutes: Uncertainty ‘Elevated’ as Risks of Higher Inflation and Unemployment Rise

1 hour ago

Is This Weekend’s 100-Plus Degree Heat a Hint on What’s Coming This Summer?

2 hours ago

Silence on E. Coli Outbreak Highlights How Trump Team’s Changes Undermine Food Safety

2 hours ago

COVID’s New Variant May Be Driving Up Cases in Some Parts of the World, WHO Says

2 hours ago

Fresno Man Pleads Guilty to $1 Million PPP Loan Fraud

3 hours ago

Iran Hangs a Man Convicted of Spying for Israel

3 hours ago

California Opens Track-and-Field Finals to More Girls After Success of Trans Athlete

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend