Strong Critics for Cocaine Energy Drink

The controversial energy drink called Cocaine contains 350 per cent more caffeine than rival brand Red Bull, this week hit UK shelves amidst criticism from politicians over the launch.

 The issue of energy drinks continues to
divide opinion in Europe, where concerns over the content of
substances like caffeine and amino acids such as Taurine have forced
a number of energy drink makers to consider reformulating their
drinks to avoid bans on their products.

Under current European Commission
regulations, the former Scientific Committee on Food (SCF), ruled
back in 1999 that with the exception of pregnant women and children,
caffeine consumption in ‘energy drinks’ when replacing other
forms of the stimulant was not a ‘cause for concern’.

The commission still calls for clear
labelling on any beverages containing more than 150mg/l of caffeine
to state that there is ‘high caffeine content’ in the product.
The EC said that the labelling was not required for beverages based
on tea or coffee extracts that clearly note either beverage on its
packaging.

The market for sports and energy drinks
continues to grow strongly.

The segment is expected to reach
$39.2bn in value by 2010, currently led by the US where sales are
expected to reach $17bn this year alone, according to the findings by
Global Industry Analysts.

The remainder of global demand is made
up by Western European markets and Japan, which along with the US
account for 88 per cent of total global consumption.

Sales of energy drinks alone are
expected to grow in the US by 33.7 per cent over a three-year period,
according to the report.

In Europe, the UK and Germany are the
largest markets with combined sales of $4.6 billion. France is the
region's fastest growing market with 18 per cent CAGR.