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Cocaine Energy Drink Makers Blast FDA Criticisms |
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Monday, 14 July 2008 |
The maverick beverage company that raised the anger of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration by calling its energy drink Cocaine is redesigning its packaging to further satisfy the government regulators.
But as they prepare to roll out new labels, the officers of Murrieta, Calif.-based Redux Beverages LLC have a few choice comments about federal regulators' priorities.
Last year, Redux pulled Cocaine from shelves after the FDA objected to the drink's labeling and marketing, which included statements such as "speed in a can" and "Cocaine: Instant rush."
The issue now involves the style of font used for the product name and a list of ingredients on the cans, which are designed to resemble chalk lines. The FDA has written Redux a letter objecting to the design, said Jamey Kirby, founder of Redux.
Kirby said the company had planned to redesign the cans before the end of the year, but will accelerate the process and have new cans in the stores later this month. But he wonders whether the government is done going after the controversial name for the beverage.
"(The FDA) told us over and over again it's not the name of the product they have a problem with, it's the marketing," Kirby said. "Of course it's the name. They're grasping at straws going after the font."
Cocaine is selling in selected stores in most markets, and Kirby said the product is moving a little better than expected. According to the company's website, it is on shelves in stores in Sun City, Calif. and its home base of Murrieta.
Kirby asked why the FDA is using its resources policing the font used on a can that clearly contains an energy drink and not an illegal drug. A statement released Thursday suggested the FDA should concentrate on food and drink products that actually might contain dangerous substances.
"This product is not intended to be an alternative to an illicit street drug, and anyone who thinks otherwise is an idiot, a government regulator or both," Kirby wrote.
An FDA representative did not return a call seeking comment.
In an interview, Kirby said the controversy surrounding Cocaine does help the product stand out in a very crowded market. Red Bull and Corona-based Hansen Natural Corp.'s Monster dominate the market, but there are many other contenders.
"The year we started there were 500 energy drinks, and most of the new products failed," Kirby said. "We had to be different. We embraced the controversy. Our customer core of 15- to 25-year-olds loves controversy. They say, 'If the man is telling me not to do it, then I want to have it.'"
That controversy continued Monday when the British Parliament condemned the planned release of Cocaine in that country this summer, calling it "cynical and irresponsible marketing" that may "glamorize drug-taking."
Redux also markets an energy drink called Brawndo, which got its name from the Mike Judge movie "Idiocracy." Redux also plans to launch a line of vitamin water, Kirby said.
Copyright (c) 2008, The Press-Enterprise, Riverside, Calif |
