Social media personality Logan Paul’s energy drink is facing a lot of scrutiny. Why?
Some people are claiming it's becoming popular among children.
Health experts say it has potentially dangerous levels of caffeine for kids. The PRIME energy drink has 200 mg of caffeine in every 12-ounce can. For comparison, that’s more than two Red Bull energy drinks, which have about 80 mg per 8.4 ounce can. It's also close to the amount of caffeine found in five cans of Pepsi, which have 38 mg per 12 ounces.
The FDA said 400 mg of caffeine a day is not generally associated with negative effects in adults. For kids, however, experts say those ages 12 to 17 should have less than 100 mg of caffeine per day, according to the Columbia University Irving Medical Center.
Too much caffeine can give children jitters, upset stomach, headaches, and trouble sleeping, according to Nemours Children’s Health.
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On Sunday Senator Chuck Schumer called on the FDA to investigate the drink and its caffeine levels, and how it's advertised to kids.
"A lot of parents have never heard of it, but their kids have because PRIME has engaged in an advanced advertising campaign aimed at kids, even though kids aren't supposed to drink anything with this much caffeine,” he said in a press conference Sunday.
On the energy drink’s website, it does not recommend the energy drink for those under 18, pregnant, or sensitive to caffeine.
In a statement, the company said:
"PRIME has two drinks on the market, PRIME Hydration and PRIME Energy. It is very important to make the distinction between the two products because they are vastly different. We started PRIME last year with the launch of Hydration, a healthier sports drink alternative that comes in a bottle. PRIME Energy, sold in a can, dropped in 2023 and contains a comparable amount of caffeine to other top selling energy drinks, all falling within the legal limit of the countries it's sold in. It complied with all FDA guidelines before hitting the market and states clearly on packaging, as well as in marketing materials, that it is an energy drink and is not made for anyone under the age of 18. As a brand, our top priority is consumer safety, so we welcome discussions with the FDA or any other organization regarding suggested industry changes they feel are necessary in order to protect consumers."
@scrippsnews Would you drink an energy drink with the same amount of caffeine as 5 cans of Pepsi? Senator Chuck Schumer is urging the FDA to look into the caffeine content of Logan Paul’s PRIME energy drink, and how it’s advertised to children. #EnergyDrink #caffeine ♬ original sound - Scripps News
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