| Type | Malt liquor |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Phusion Projects LLC, Chicago, Illinois |
| Country of origin | USA |
| Introduced | 2005 |
| Proof | 12, 20, or 24 |
| Flavor | Grape, Fruit Punch, Orange Blend, Watermelon, Blue Raspberry, Lemon Lime, Lemonade, Cranberry Lemonade, Grape MaXed, Citrus MaXed, Green Apple XXX Limited Edition |
| Variants | Four Loko, Four MaXed |
| Related products | Joose, Sparks, Tilt |
| Website | http://www.drinkfour.com , http://www.drinkfour.eu |
Four Loko is a line of alcoholic beverages, originally marketed as energy drinks, sold by Phusion Projects of Chicago, Illinois. Phusion operates as Drink Four Brewing Company.[1] Four Loko, the company's most popular beverage, debuted in the United States market in 2005. It is now sold in 30 states and in Canada & Europe. [2] The name "Four" is derived from the original energy drink's four main ingredients: alcohol, caffeine, taurine, and guarana.
Four branded products have been the object of legal, ethical, and health concerns related to the company allegedly marketing them to minors and the purported danger of combining alcohol and caffeine.[1] After the beverage was banned in several states, a product reintroduction in December 2010 removed caffeine, taurine, and guarana as ingredients, and the malt beverage is no longer marketed as an energy drink.[3]
Contents |
There are two product lines within the Four brand:
Four Loko contains carbonated water, sugar, and natural and artificial flavoring including FD&C Red 40.
Four MaXed is available in two flavors: Gold (citrus) and Grape. Four Loko is available in eight flavors: Uva Berry (Grape), Fruit Punch, Orange Blend, Watermelon, Blue Raspberry, Lemon Lime, Lemonade, and Cranberry Lemonade.
In early 2011, Phusion Projects introduced its Four Loko XXX Limited Edition line, which featured a new flavor of Four Loko every few months. In January 2011, they debuted with Green Apple, followed by Blueberry Lemonade in May.
In Summer 2011 Phusion Projects introduced 12oz glass bottles of Four Loko, with Lemonade, Fruit Punch, and Watermelon flavors. Bottles came in packs of six and had 8% ABV as opposed to 12%.
Phusion Projects announced they will be selling 16oz cans of their drink in hi-cone four packs known as Four Poco Loko. They will be 8% ABV and have black cherry, mango, lemonade, and green apple flavors. Four Poco Loko will debut in September 2011.
Original formulations of both beverages were a malt liquor-based, caffeinated alcoholic energy drink with added guarana and taurine. The formulations were developed by three alumni of The Ohio State University: Chris Hunter, Jeff Wright, and Jaisen Freeman.[2]
In 2008, Phusion Projects began selling their products in Europe. The European version of Four MaXed is sold in 8.3–oz. (250mL) glass bottles and aluminum cans and is spirit-based; the United States version has a malt liquor base.
In 2009, Four Loko ranked fourth in sales growth among alcoholic beverages at 7-Eleven stores in the United States.
On November 16, 2010, Phusion Projects issued a press release announcing that the company would be reformulating all Four brand beverages to remove caffeine, guarana, and taurine from the products.[4] The new product was reintroduced in January 2011.[5]
Four MaXed has been criticized for the potential danger in mixing caffeine and alcohol. When alcohol and caffeine are combined, drinkers have reported a reduction of the sensations typically associated with alcohol; this is believed to be a result of caffeine counteracting the depressive effects and keeping the individual more alert.[6] However, when the caffeine wears off the person feels the full effects of the alcohol. This can lead to excess consumption of alcohol because the delayed feeling of drunkenness leads an individual to seek additional alcohol to obtain the same sensations as those found in previous encounters.[7]
A University of Florida study found that students who mixed caffeine and alcohol thought they were capable of drinking more total alcohol than those who drank non-caffeinated alcoholic drinks.
In 2009, a group of US state attorneys general began active investigations of companies which produced and sold caffeinated alcohol beverages, on the grounds that they were being inappropriately marketed to a teenage audience.[8] The attorneys general were also concerned that these drinks could pose health risks by masking feelings of intoxication.[9] In December 2008, Anheuser-Busch, manufacturer of Tilt and Bud Extra, as well as MillerCoors, manufacturer of Sparks agreed to reformulate their drinks.[1] In 2009, smaller companies such as Phusion fell under investigation because of their rise in market share.[1]
The drink came under major fire in 2010, as colleges and universities across the United States began to see injuries and blackouts related to the drink's use. The University of Rhode Island banned this product from their campus on November 5, 2010.[10] The state of Washington banned Four Loko after nine university students aged 17 to 19 from Central Washington University in Ellensburg, Washington became ill at a house party in Roslyn, Washington. The university students were hospitalized and one university student, with a blood alcohol level of .30%, almost died, according to CWU President James L. Gaudino.[11]
In October 2010, following the hospitalization of seventeen students and six visitors, Ramapo College of New Jersey banned the possession and consumption of Four Loko on its campus.[12] As a result, Worcester State University stopped the sale of all energy drinks, and they as well as Boston College have informed their students of the risks involved in consuming Four beverages. By November, 2010 dozens of other colleges and universities sent out notices informing their students to avoid the drink,[13][14] while several more have placed outright bans on their campuses.[10]
Other efforts to control the statewide use of Four have been under way. The Daily Collegian, Penn State's student newspaper reported that on November 1 the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board sent letters to all liquor stores urging distributors to discontinue the sale of the drink. The PLCB also sent letters to all Colleges and Universities warning them of the dangers of the drink.[15] While the board has stopped short of a ban, it has asked retailers to stop selling the drink until U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) findings prove they are safe. Pennsylvania State Representative Vanessa Lowery Brown, however, seeks to introduce legislation to ban alcoholic energy drinks in the state.[16]
Several stores, including Tops Markets, Price Chopper and Wegmans have voluntarily pulled the product from their shelves.[17][18] Shortly after these stores did so, former Governor of New York David Paterson announced that Phusion was withdrawing the beverage from the state of New York as of November 19, 2010.[19][20]
On November 20, 2010, Oregon Liquor Control Commission's five citizen commissioners held an emergency meeting resulting in a 4-1 vote on the ban. The ban became effective immediately and is in effect until May 18, 2011.[21] The ban required businesses to cease the sale of alcoholic energy drinks and pull existing items off the shelf, immediately. The sale of the restricted products during this period carries a penalty of 30 day suspension of liquor license.[22]
Utah, which has a state-run alcoholic beverage distribution system, never allowed alcoholic energy drinks to go on sale there.[23] Michigan and Oklahoma have voted to ban the sale of alcohol energy drinks over health and safety concerns.[24][25] Additionally, the Washington State Liquor Control Board voted to ban the sale of alcoholic energy drinks, which went into effect on November 18, 2010. The vote came as a result of the incident at Central Washington University.[26] The New York State Liquor Authority has also banned their sale and distribution as of November 19, 2010. New York state senator Chuck Schumer and New York City councilman James Sanders Jr. have approached the Obama administration to ban Four Loko across the state of New York.[27]
On November 17, 2010 the U.S. FDA Food and Drug Administration issued a warning letter to four manufacturers of caffeinated alcohol beverages citing that the caffeine added to their malt alcoholic beverages is an “unsafe food additive” and said that further action, including seizure of their products, may occur under federal law.[28] It declared that beverages that combine caffeine with alcohol, such as Four energy drinks, are a "public health concern" and can't stay on the market in their current form.[29][30] The FDA also stated that concerns have been raised that caffeine can mask some of the sensory cues individuals might normally rely on to determine their level of intoxication. Warning letters were issued to each of the four companies requiring them to provide to the FDA in writing within 15 days of the specific steps the firms will be taking.
The four companies receiving the warning letter are:
Starting weeks prior to the FDA ruling, many fans and others seeking financial gain purchased large quantities of the drink.[31] This buying rush quickly created a black market for the drink, with many sellers charging nearly five times the drink's retail price.[32] Four Loko appeared on Craigslist and collectible cans of the drink were being sold on eBay.[33] In late December 2010, a reformulated version of the drink was put on shelves. The new product had exactly the same design as the original except without any mention of caffeine, guarana, or taurine (ingredients in the original drink).[34] However, illegal sales of the original drink continued, usually for a price of roughly $15 per 24 ounce can.[35]
Four has announced that it will be releasing a new product, Four Loko XXX Limited Edition, in January 2011. The drink will feature a brand new Four Loko flavor that will change every four months. The first flavor will be Green Apple, followed by the release of Blueberry Lemonade in May. As with other reformulated Four beverages, the drink will contain no caffeine or other stimulants.[36]
Sullum, Jacob (November 24, 2010). "Loco Over Four Loko". Reason. http://reason.com/archives/2010/11/24/loco-over-four-loko.