energy drink news stories on Newser

Coke in Talks to Buy Monster

Matt Cantor — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 12:50:11 CDT

Coca-Cola is considering a monster purchase to get a bigger foothold in the world of energy drinks. The largest soft-drink company on the planet is in talks to buy Monster Beverage in what would be its biggest brand acquisition: Monster has a market capitalization of $11 billion, and the company...

Next for Starbucks: Energy Drinks

Evann Gastaldo — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 13:40:47 CDT

First alcohol , then juice , and now Starbucks is getting into yet another non-coffee beverage: energy drinks. The Seattle company told shareholders yesterday it will be coming out with a line of "Refreshers" drinks, which are already available at some grocery locations. The 12-ounce, 60-calorie beverages will include such flavors as...

Thai Billionaire Behind Red Bull Dead at 89

Neal Colgrass — Sat, 17 Mar 2012 15:30:24 CDT

The Thai billionaire who sparked the worldwide "energy drink" craze and co-founded Red Bull has died of natural causes in Bangkok, the AP reports. Chaleo Yoovidhya was 89. Born to a Thai mother and Chinese father who sold ducks and fruit to survive, Chaelo died as Thailand's third-richest man. He...

FDA to Probe Inhalable Caffeine

Neal Colgrass — Sun, 19 Feb 2012 17:21:00 CST

New York Sen. Charles Schumer isn't convinced inhalable caffeine is a good thing—at least not for kids, the AP reports. He has helped prod the FDA into investigating chapstick-sized caffeine inhalers called Aeroshots. The senator says his concern was prompted by incidents last year when students guzzled too many...

Real-Life 'Rudy' Settles SEC Fraud Case for $383K

Mark Russell — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 05:46:49 CST

Daniel Ruettiger—the man who inspired the 1993 movie Rudy , about an undersized student who earned a spot on Notre Dame's football team—is paying a full-sized $382,866 to settle fraud charges with the SEC, reports the Wall Street Journal . Ruettiger and 12 accomplices were charged with a "pump-and-dump"...

Doctors Warn: Energy Drinks Can Kill Kids

Mark Russell — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 03:19:28 CST

Doctors are warning that children should not use energy drinks, which they call understudied and possibly dangerous, reports AP . The chief danger? The drinks' caffeine and caffeine-related content, which can be four or five times greater than a normal soda and can cause heart trouble, strokes, seizures, nausea, diarrhea, and...

Jury Still Out on Whether Energy Drinks Help Athletes

Kevin Spak — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 14:31:05 CST

Energy drinks have certainly been effective at marketing themselves to athletes, especially young ones—a recent survey showed that 32% of high-school athletes drink them—but do they actually improve performance? They jury’s out, but it doesn’t look good, experts tell the New York Times . “There’s good evidence that caffeine...

FDA Declares Alcoholic Energy Drinks 'Unsafe'

Kevin Spak — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 13:34:33 CST

The FDA has declared alcoholic energy drinks unsafe for consumption, and warned companies that the federal government may seize them if they don’t switch to decaf. Regulators have sent warning letters to Charge Beverages, New Century Brewing, United Brands, and Phusion Projects, the makers of Four Loko, Bloomberg reports. The...

Michigan Bans Four Loko Across State

Nick McMaster — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 13:00:00 CDT

Michigan has banned Four Loko and other caffeinated alcoholic beverages statewide, the Chicago Tribune reports. It's apparently the first state to do so, but politicians and school officials across the country are also taking aim: City councilmen in Chicago proposed a ban this week, Pennsylvania's liquor commission has asked retailers...