Red Bull contains cocaine?

**Jasthace** · #1 (**permalink**) 06-04-2009

Austria’s health department has confirmed that Red Bull Cola contains traces of cocaine but at levels that do not pose a public health risk but Jordan has joined a major German retailer and banned the drink.

The controversy erupted 10 days ago when the food safety agency (LIGA) in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia detected 0.4 micrograms of cocaine per litre in Red Bull Cola, a level German authorities have subsequently said also presents no public hazard.

But it did not stop the German retailer, Rewe, pulling the product from shelves in its stores in six states. Bans have also been implemented in Taiwan and Hong Kong.

Jordan’s Food and Drug Administration (JFDA) said Red Bull would be pulled from shelves in the Middle Eastern nation until further investigations could verify its content and safety.

“Whenever we receive reports from any country regarding the withdrawal of a product from the market and we have it in Jordan, we do the same until we conduct the required tests,” the Jordanian FDA’s director, Mohammed Rawashdeh, told The Jordan Times.

No public risk

Both the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) and the Federal Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection said the level did not pose a threat to public safety but Jordan has joined the ban and other countries are assessing their position in regard to the world’s leading energy drink.

Toxicologists have advised that a consumer would have to drink two million 250mL cans of Red Bull to imbibe enough cocaine to have an overdose.

Decocainised

Austria-based Red Bull has defended its use of what is commonly known as “decocainised coca leaf extract”

“Decocainised coca leaf extracts are used as flavouring in foodstuffs around the world and are considered to be safe (eg FDA Gras Status, Council of Europe). Red Bull Cola and other foodstuff containing such extracts may therefore be sold legally,” Red Bull said.

The energy drink giant said an assessment commissioned by the Austrian Belan Institute was unable to detect any trace of cocaine, “and consequently clearly contradicts the assessment furnished by LIGA.”

It said it met yesterday with the Bavarian Ministry for Environment, Health, and Consumer Protection.

“Based on this meeting, the Ministry has decided to officially investigate the existing examination results. In this way, we are sure that we will be able to clear up the facts very soon.”

Coca-Cola has refused to confirm or deny whether it used either regular or decocainisedcocaleaves in its products.

**XTREME** · #2 (**permalink**) 06-05-2009

Yea, what the hell is up with that? I saw it last night, but missed the full story. Thanks for posting.

**body_by_donuts** · #3 (**permalink**) 06-05-2009

I think I know who is behind this mystery

**XTREME** · #4 (**permalink**) 06-05-2009

^^^LMAO

Ok I been snorting red bull all day and I don't feel shit yet.

**Jasthace** · #5 (**permalink**) 06-05-2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by XTREME

Ok I been snorting red bull all day and I don't feel shit yet.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jasthace

Toxicologists have advised that a consumer would have to drink two million 250mL cans of Red Bull to imbibe enough cocaine to have an overdose.

Keep snorting bro,1 million cans and you should get a hit.

**Jasthace** · #6 (**permalink**) 06-05-2009

Banning Red Bull Cola over its use of decocainised cocoa leaf extracts will be difficult to make stick in the absence of adverse events, according to the pan-European better nutrition trade group the Alliance for Natural Health (ANH).

Some retailers in Germany have pulled the product, which is a cola extension to the Red Bull energy drink brand launched last year, after testing in one state revealed minute traces of cocaine in the beverages but there has been no suggestion public health is under threat.

The product has been withdrawn in other countries since, such as Hong Kong, Jordan and Taiwan even as the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) tested products and found no traces of cocaine.

"The ban on Red Bull appears to be a knee-jerk reaction which has absolutely nothing to do with the actual risks to human health,” ANH said.

“It is very clear that a miniscule amount (around 130 nanograms) of the non-active degradation product of cocaine per can … does not represent any risk to human health.”

ANH noted that the use of highly sensitive analytical equipment meant traces of contaminants were more likely to be found, even though the levels may be benign.

“It is the dose of a given substance that determines whether it is poisonous or not,” ANH said.

“It follows then that the presence of a given substance, on its own, does not constitute any evidence of harmfulness. Municipal drinking water is toxic if you drink enough of it, as are the contaminants within it.

Poppy seeds, for example, may contain detectable, trace amounts of opium; there are tiny amounts of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in industrial hemp (used in health foods); nicotine can be found, naturally, in tomatoes, green peppers, potatoes and eggplant; and a typical sea salt may contain traces of potentially hazardous minerals including arsenic and cadmium.”

ANH noted that a ban on a foodstuff cannot occur in the EU unless evidence of harm can be demonstrated which is not the case with Red Bull Cola.

“We can’t imagine ‘the bull’ will take this one lying down…..and any challenge by Red Bull will no doubt make yet another interesting legal precedent.”

A recent risk assessment conducted by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) found safety issue with the drink, although it is banned in Denmark and Norway over its taurine content and in Turkey over its high caffeine content.