Monster Beverage Corp. is coming under attack in an investigation by a New York state attorney general and a San Francisco city attorney general.
Amidst all the death reports cause by energy drinks, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has confirmed that there is no solid evidence that the beverages have caused them.
Yet in October, WebMD reported that a Maryland couple filed a lawsuit against Monster in the death of their 14-year-old daughter who drank two cans within one day from each other but then collapsed and was placed into an induced coma.
Doctors declared that her heart had stopped following the consumption of the second 24-ounce drink.
According to health experts, caffeinated Monster drinks contain on average 240 mg, but the daily recommended caffeine-intake for minors is 100 mg.
The parents’ lawsuit claimed that the product’s ingredients are dangerous and shouldn’t be marketed towards young children and/or teenagers.
Some have accused the company for not being completely transparent about the ingredients and even then the possible health risks the drink may expose to its consumers.
It looks like other lawmakers couldn’t agree more.
San Francisco attorney Dennis Herrera filed a lawsuit on the basis that Monster is intentionally marketing their products to minors.
Monster responded to the lawsuit with their on lawsuit requesting to stop the investigation, but a California judge threw out the corporation’s case.
However, the California-based company isn’t the only energy drink coming under scrutiny.
New York attorney General Eric Schneiderman is also attacking the company along with others for marketing their products to children.
The FDA doesn’t see the drink as a problem per se, but views the high concentration of caffeine as the reason for major health concerns.
“FDA continues to evaluate the emerging science on a variety of ingredients, including caffeine,” a spokeswoman for the agency previously told WebMD.
Monster Beverage Corp. has yet to make a statement on the investigations.
UPDATE 1/15/13 2:06 p.m.
Here is a statement sent in by Monster Beverage’s PR:
“The sale and consumption of more than 10 billion Monster energy drinks worldwide over more than 11 years has shown that our products are safe. Contrary to allegations, they are not “highly caffeinated” and they are not marketed to children. In fact, a 16-ounce Monster Energy drink contains less than half the caffeine of a 16-oz (medium) size cup of Starbucks brewed coffee. Monster’s labels state: “Consume responsibly: Not recommended for children, people sensitive to caffeine, pregnant women or women who are nursing.” “
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