Health Concerns over the Red Bull Energy Drink were fuelled yesterday after Europe\u2019s highest court upheld a French ban of the product. The Fizzy drink has been linked to several deaths and some experts have criticized its high levels of caffeine and other stimulants.
\nRed bull is Britain\u2019s best-selling energy drink, with 213 million cans consumed last year. It has been dubbed the \u2018clubbers\u2019 drink, and it is often mixed with vodka. The popular adverts claiming the Red Bull \u2018gives you wings\u2019 have led to the brand being described as \u2018the Porsche of soft drinks.
\nIt contains caffeine, vitamins and sugar which the company claims, kick-stars the body\u2019s metabolism and kepps people alert. But France has refused to authorize its sale, along with other vitamin-fortified foods such as Danone yoghurt and Kellogg\u2019s cereals. The European Commission (EC) challenged France\u2019s ban after manufacturers complained it was inhibiting imports.
\nIn a ruling yesterday, the European Court of Justice upheld the main part of the EC challenge, ordering France to lift the ban unless it could prove the health risks. But the court said tht the French government did have a right to ban red bull. The judges said that a study by the French Scientific Committee on Human Nutrition found that red Bull contained excessive caffeine.
\nThe committee also raised concerns about the drink\u2019s other ingredients \u2013 taurin, an amino acid and company claims can \u2018kick-start\u2019 the metabolism \u2013 and glucuronolactone, a carbohydrate. The EC\u2019s scientific committee on Food conducted a study last year and found that while caffeine levels in energy drinks were safe, more studies were needed to assess the dangers of taurine and glucuronolactone.
\nWhile other toxicology experts had concluded that the caffeine levels in Red Bull are safe, France had a right to ban the drink on the advise of its own experts, the court said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Health Concerns over the Red Bull Energy Drink were fuelled yesterday after Europe\u2019s highest court upheld a French ban of the product. The Fizzy drink has been linked to several deaths and some experts have criticized its high levels of caffeine and other stimulants. Red bull is Britain\u2019s best-selling energy drink, with 213 million cans […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-274032","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard"],"yoast_head":"\n