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Community‘Alcopop’ brewer must change recipes
Maker agrees with state to remove caffeine from drinks
Friday, July 4, 2008
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Two controversial energy drinks that contain alcohol, known as alcopops, will be reformulated by Anheuser-Busch as part of a national agreement with the Maryland Attorney General’s Office and others.
The attorneys general of a handful of states alleged that the brewer made misleading statements about the effects of Tilt and Bud Extra, which contain caffeine.
‘‘These amped-up alcopops taste and look like popular nonalcoholic energy drinks and are popular with young people who often form the wrong belief that the caffeine in the drinks will counteract the intoxicating effects of the alcohol,” Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler (D) said in a statement.
‘‘We certainly applaud the attorney general in his efforts to protect our youth and this is a step in the right direction,” said Caroline Cash, executive director of Mothers Against Drunk Driving in Maryland and Virginia.
Her group had been disappointed when Gov. Martin O’Malley (D) did not veto legislation classifying the sweet, alcoholic energy drinks as beer in terms of where they could be sold, Cash said. O’Malley allowed the measure to become law in May without his signature.
Gansler had issued an opinion that the alcoholic energy drinks should be taxed as spirits instead of as beer and sold only in liquor stores.
However, the law allows the drinks to be taxed at the 9 cents per gallon beer rate instead of the $1.50 per gallon rate on distilled spirits.
Despite the decision by Anheuser-Busch to discontinue Tilt and Bud Extra, it and other brewers will continue to sell other alcopops without caffeine. Anheuser-Busch also agreed not to make any more caffeinated alcohol drinks, Gansler said.
‘‘This agreement is a monumental win for our nation’s young people who are lured by marketing into believing these products are safe,” said Gansler, who is about to become chairman of the National Association of Attorneys Generals’ Youth Access to Alcohol Committee.
The brewer denied that it had marketed the drinks improperly but cooperated with the investigation and will reformulate the drinks without caffeine or other stimulants, according to Gansler’s statement.
