Foster's turns back on 'added energy' drinks
energy and higher alcohol ready to drink (RTD) brands from its
portfolio of goods sold in Australia due to concerns about
irresponsible drinking.
The company said that it had voluntarily decided to cease production of its branded goods that contain "energy" additives such as caffeine and taurine, as well as any canned or bottle drink containing more than a 7 per cent volume of alcohol. The decision by such a major brewer, which licenses production of its beers in Europe to Scottish & Newcastle (S&N), could have wider ramifications for its multinational rivals, which are coming under increasing scrutiny over how they market and sell their products. Jamie Odell, managing director of the company's Australian and Asian Pacific operations said Foster's was reacting to wider stakeholder concerns over the country's drinking habits. "As the market leader, Foster's has worked for many years to improve Australia's underlying drinking culture as a whole", he stated. "We believe strongly that the real issue is not 'bad' products, but rather poor drinking behaviour." However, Odell accepted criticisms that beverages containing higher levels of alcohol, or added energy ingredients, were open to abuse from some consumers and decided to act on these fears. "While these beverages have never been prominent in Foster's portfolio, we feel it is important to take this step as a responsible company that listens to its stakeholders", he stated. "We will be speaking to our commercial partners over the coming weeks to implement these changes as swiftly as possible". Australia is not alone in having concerns of the emergence of alcoholic energy drinks though, with criticisms also mounting in Europe over availability of the products. Anders Ulstein, board member of European Public Health Alliance (EPHA), told BeverageDaily.com last year that while irresponsible drinking was not related to one specific form of alcoholic beverage, he was concerned in the manner that some RTD products were being sold. "Alcoholic energy drinks are not the only culprit, and I would not like to focus too much on particular categories, but it does I think fuel the binge drinking phenomenon," he said. Ulstein expressed his particular concern at the image that beverages like alcoholic energy drinks have amongst underage drinkers. "There may even be particular health risks related to these products, but my concern is the way it stimulates an entrenching of the alco-pops culture among young people," he added.
