A major New York City supermarket chain has stopped selling YouTuber Logan Paul’s energy drink over concerns about children’s health.
John Catsimatidis, CEO of Big Apple supermarket chains Gristedes and D’Agostino, announced that the city’s 28 popular stores will no longer stock the drink launched this year and is a bestseller among young people.
The move comes less than a month after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) began an investigation into the drink’s sky-high caffeine content.
The drink contains 200 milligrams of caffeine per 12 ounces — six times the amount in a can of Coca-Cola and double that of a regular Red Bull.
Just days after the drink hit UK shelves, a child in Wales went into cardiac arrest after swallowing the drink and doctors had to pump their stomachs.
While the drink is intended to be sold only to the over 18s, it is still accessible and appealing to kids with flavors like blue raspberry, tropical punch, and lime. This leads to an uphill battle for the FDA in its quest to better regulate the drink, an issue reminiscent of the widespread use of flavored e-cigarettes by youth.
John Catsimatidis, CEO of Big Apple supermarket chains Gristedes and D’Agostino has opted to remove Prime energy drinks from the shelves in nearly 30 New York City stores
The drink, by YouTube stars KSI and Logan Paul, is under tighter scrutiny by the Food and Drug Administration over concerns that sky-high caffeine levels could harm children to whom the drink is marketed
Co-founded by YouTube star Logan Paul and KSI, Prime has gained popularity through feverish social media and influencer marketing.
By getting the drinks out of 28 stores across the city, Mr. Catsimatidis has gone a step further than the FDA in what he considers an important step toward protecting children’s health.
He said: “We’re listening to our customers and we’re concerned about children’s health concerns regarding Prime and the caffeine content and marketing of the drink, so we won’t be stocking it at this time.
“We could always reconsider, but then we would put our own warning labels on the shelf.”
Prime has 200 milligrams of caffeine per 12 ounces — six times the amount of a can of Coca-Cola and double that of a regular Red Bull. And it is very popular with children.
Those who consume the drink may experience rapid heartbeat and disturbed sleep in the short term and anxiety and sleep problems in the long term.
School officials, including Rebecca Brown, health coordinator for the Wilmington, Massachusetts, school district, have said that children’s “entrepreneurs” have taken them to school and sold them to classmates at lunch.
Ms Brown said the drinks – which were sold like gangbusters with the students – immediately began to cause them health problems.
“Not long after drinking them, the students came to the health office and said they weren’t feeling well and their hearts were racing,” Brown added.
Finally, she had to send a note to parents in the school district asking them not to send their students to school with the drinks.
The drinks are already banned in schools in the UK and Australia.
Prime was launched by YouTube stars KSI and Logan Paul who have 24.1 million and 23.6 million followers respectively
According to a warning on the drink’s official website, it’s not recommended for children under the age of 18, pregnant or breastfeeding women, or individuals sensitive to caffeine.
However, there are no known restrictions on purchasing the drink in the US. In the UK, on the other hand, the minimum age to buy them is 16 years old.
A young student in Wales was reported to have had a ‘heart attack’ in May after drinking the drink.
Administrators at the school sent a letter to parents about the incident, saying: ‘This morning a parent reported that their child suffered a heart attack over the weekend after drinking a Prime energy drink.
“The child needed to have their stomach pumped out and although it was better now, the parent wanted us to share this as a reminder of the possible harmful effects.”