Logan Paul and KSI’s popular energy drink Prime could be investigated for elevated levels of caffeine.
After months and months of the popular drink flying off the shelves and causing chaos in stores with fans doing absolutely anything to get their hands on a bottle, the company could be facing an investigation from the US Food and Drug Administration.
Politician Charles Schumer has called the FDA to investigate Prime Energy, which first hit stores in January and is labelled as sugar-free and vegan.
Schumer said “One of the summer’s hottest status symbols for kids is not an outfit, or a toy—it’s a beverage. But buyer and parents beware because it’s a serious health concern for the kids it so feverishly targets.”
The major health concerns are around caffeine. In 12 ounces of the drink there are 200 milligrams of caffeine. For frame of reference, one can of Coca Cola contains 32mg of caffeine and diet coke contains 42mg. Red Bull has around 80mg in a 250ml can.
The younger fanbase of Logan Paul and KSI has led to Prime’s audience being younger than first intended – the label states ‘not recommended for children under 18’.
The brand also makes Prime Hydrations, which contains zero mg of caffeine but the politician is arguing that there is little to differentiate between the two drinks.
He said “A simple search on social media for Prime will generate an eye-popping amount of sponsored content, which is advertising,”
“This content and the claims made should be investigated, along with the ingredients and the caffeine content in the Prime energy drink.”
“These can cause significant concerns in students with (potentially unidentified) health issues,”
A representative for Prime responded to these claims by saying:
“PRIME has two drinks on the market, PRIME Hydration and PRIME Energy. It is very important to make the distinction between the two products because they are vastly different.
“We started PRIME last year with the launch of Hydration, a healthier sports drink alternative that comes in a bottle. PRIME Energy, sold in a can, dropped in 2023 and contains a comparable amount of caffeine to other top selling energy drinks, all falling within the legal limit of the countries it’s sold in. It complied with all FDA guidelines before hitting the market and states clearly on packaging, as well as in marketing materials, that it is an energy drink and is not made for anyone under the age of 18.
“As a brand, our top priority is consumer safety, so we welcome discussions with the FDA or any other organisation regarding suggested industry changes they feel are necessary in order to protect consumers.”
