The South Korean
market for energy drinks which contain large amounts of caffeine has grown
remarkably over the past two years, but is expected to face regulations due to
health risks.
Rep. Choi Dong-ic of the main opposition Democratic
United Party is gathering fellow lawmakers’ support to submit a revised bill
next month to ban the sale of energy drinks near schools to limit children’s
access to the caffeinated beverages which are classified as soda under current
rules.
“The bill calls for applying on the so-called energy
drinks, or high-caffeine beverages, the same level of restrictions against
high-calorie, low-nutrition foods which ban sales within 200 metres from
schools and their television commercials during children’s primetime,” an aide
to Rep. Choi told The Korea Herald.
Countries like France, Denmark, Norway and Argentina
have banned sales of energy drinks, and the state of New York has launched an
investigation into whether the makers of energy drinks are misleading consumers
about the amount of caffeine they contain or the health risks they could pose.
According to reports on Tuesday, the New York attorney
general in July subpoenaed the three companies that make 5-Hour Energy, Monster
and AMP as his office investigates whether they violated federal law in
promoting the drinks as dietary supplements rather than as foods, which are
regulated more strictly.
Lotte Chilsung Beverage is set to start importing
Monster, the world’s second-bestselling energy drink after Austria’s Red Bull,
to the Korean market soon.
Korea has no regulations on the energy drinks, a term
coined by the industry, other than requiring companies to mark “high-caffeine”
on products that contain 150 milligrams or more of caffeine and add a warning
for children, pregnant women and people sensitive to caffeine under a law that
goes into effect in January.
The Korea Food and Drug Administration has no plans to
look into whether the ingredients of the energy drinks are properly disclosed,
according to Hwang Sung-hwi, the administration’s director of food safety
policy.
“The World Health Organization continues to assess the
toxicity of caffeine, which is categorized as an additive, but its harmfulness
has not officially been proven yet,” Hwang said.
“But since high doses of caffeine can cause shakes or
other side effects in people with weak immune systems, the ‘high-caffeine’
labeling and the warning will be mandatory under the new rule. We are
monitoring developments related to energy drinks around the world, and will
take necessary steps once caffeine is confirmed to be harmful.”
Energy drinks such as Red Bull, Lotte Chilsung’s Hot
Six and Coca Cola’s Burn Intense are widely consumed by high school and college
students, especially during exam periods, as well as workers who want to stay
awake.
Mixtures of energy drinks with sports drinks and
powdered vitamin C, known as “boong-boong drinks,” are also popular among
adolescents here.
Sales of energy drinks in Korea jumped over 960
percent from a year ago to 39 billion won (US$34.4 million) in the first seven
months of this year thanks to the explosive sales of Red Bull, which has been
imported since August last year.
With energy drinks becoming the beverage makers’
top-selling items, food companies and even pharmaceutical firms are jumping on
the bandwagon.
Hot Six, Red Bull and Samsung Pharm’s Ya simply have
“high-caffeine” marked on the cans without disclosing the amount of caffeine
they contain. Monster, which is yet to be formally imported, is traded at 5,000
won per 475-millilitre can in Namdaemun Market with no indication on the amount
of caffeine.
Rep. Choi said in a parliamentary health committee
meeting last month that Red Bull, Hot Six and Hot Six Limited Edition contain
62.5, 60 and 86.4 milligrams of caffeine, respectively, much higher than the
nation’s beloved health tonic Bacchus (30 milligrams).
In Korea, children weighing 30 kilograms are
recommended not to consume more than 75 milligrams of caffeine per day, and
adults 400 milligrams.
Health advocates worldwide have voiced concerns over
the use of energy drinks among teenagers, particularly when they are consumed
with alcohol.
“Energy drinks which contain high levels of caffeine
as well as taurine are bad for teenagers’ health and can cause them to feel
anxious, overly sensitive or emotionally disturbed,” said Huh Hye-yeon, a staff
member of Green Consumer Network in Korea.
“There should be warnings on the products that
excessive intake by adolescents can be dangerous.”
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