The bad news about energy drinks just keeps rolling in: Thanks to inconsistent labeling and an ongoing FDA review that’s not yet finished, energy drinks can contain undisclosed ingredients that haven’t been thoroughly vetted by the FDA, according to a new report released by three congressmen earlier this month.
Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) and Sens. Richard Durbin (D-Ill.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) surveyed the companies behind 14 popular energy drinks. They asked them about the ingredients they use, the levels of caffeine in their products, the serving sizes, the research performed to back up any claims made about the benefits, and how companies decide whether to categorize their product as a dietary supplement or conventional food (right now, the FDA lets manufacturers decide what their product should be classified as, which affects the guidelines to which they’re subjected).
The report compiled from all of the companies’ responses shows that virtually identical products can be labeled very differently—and that many of the ingredients and claims identified on the label are more concerning than they initially seem to be.
“In local convenience and grocery stores around the country, energy drinks are sold right next to soda and other well-known beverages,” Sen. Durbin said in a released statement. “Any consumer would assume that the high levels of caffeine and novel ingredients in energy drinks have been rigorously tested by the FDA to ensure safety. Unfortunately, that is rarely the case.”
The findings are pretty scary, especially considering that ER visits related to energy drinks doubled between 2007 and 2011, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. What’s more, the FDA has received claims that link energy drinks to several deaths.
The bottom line: Before you reach for a pre-packaged pick-me-up, it’s absolutely imperative that you find out what’s actually in the can:
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