BERLIN—One of the fastest growing segments of the beverage/supplement market is under scrutiny in Europe, after a German regulatory agency issued a 14-page opinion questioning the safety of energy shots, Nutraingredients reported. The German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) undertook the review of the consumer health risk posed by energy shots at the behest of the Federal Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection (BMELV).
BfR’s opinion, originally released in early December 2009, didn’t question the safety of the ingredients themselves nor consumption levels as recommended on product packaging. However, the agency stated consumers are likely to use energy shots without following intake recommendations. It continued, “As consumers can be expected to disregard the advice for intended use, thus taking in high doses of caffeine which could result in adverse effects, the Institute deems energy shots unsafe. BfR estimates that such expected consumer behaviour cannot be prevented by the manufacturer’s advice for intended use.”
A majority of the BfR opinion focuses on the hazards of excessive caffeine and taurine intake, as well as concerns about consumption of energy shots with alcohol beverages. BfR included a number of “case studies” in which adults consumed large quantities of energy drinks either in connection with athletic performance or in combination with alcohol, which resulted in adverse reactions including a number of deaths.
