Controversial YouTuber Logan Paul is making headlines again as Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) has asked the Food and Drug Administration to investigate the influencer’s energy drink Prime. Why? Well, there are concerns that it may be unsafe for children since one can contains the same amount of caffeine as six cans of Coke.
Schumer held a news conference on July 9 and told reporters that the influencer’s energy drink “could endanger the health of childrenDue to its “absurd caffeine content and kid-focused marketing on social media.”
“One of summer’s hottest status symbols for kids isn’t an outfit, it’s not a toy — it’s a drink,” Schumer said. “However, buyers and parents should be wary as it poses a serious health risk to the children it is so feverishly targeting. […] And the problem with that is that the product contains so much caffeine that it puts Red Bull to shame, but unlike Red Bull [Prime] is targeted – the advertising campaign is aimed at children under the age of 18. I am posting a letter [on July 9] Ask the FDA to investigate Prime based on its claims. Second, it’s marketing aimed at children; and number three, its mind-blowing caffeine content.”
Launched in January 2022, Prime is an energy drink founded and promoted by YouTubers Logan Paul and Olajide “KSI” Olatunji. Accordingly The Associated Pressthe energy drink was “an instant sensation,” resulting in long lines at grocery stores that often ran out of stock, and Resellers of children on school premises. Despite claiming no sugar and being advertised as vegan, the energy drinks are extremely high in caffeine. As NBC News reportsA can of Prime contains around 200 mg of the stimulant, which is almost the equivalent of two doses of Red Bull. and acc The New York TimesThe drinks have been available in fourth- and fifth-grade cafeterias in the Wilmington, Massachusetts Public School District since March. But Rebecca Brown, the district’s health services coordinator, said some schools were struggling with student health and safety issues.
“We even had entrepreneurs in fourth and fifth grade who would bring them to school and sell them to other kids over lunch,” Brown said. “Shortly after drinking them, the students showed up at the health department and said they weren’t feeling well and their hearts were racing.”
This high caffeine content has led to regulatory action around the world. The drink was banned in New Zealandas well as in schools in a variety of countries such as Australia, Canada, South Africa, the UKAnd the USA Even celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay stretched out on Prime, giving it a “0/10” in an interview with British radio show Heart UK in January 2023 and saying it was like “swallowing perfume”.
In an email to my cityA Prime representative said the brand’s “top priority” is consumer safety and said it is open to discussions with the FDA or other regulatory agencies to ensure the product is safe for consumption.
“Prime has two beverages on the market, Hydration and Energy,” the rep said. “It is very important to distinguish between the two products as they are very different. We launched Prime last year with the launch of Hydration, a healthier alternative to sports drinks that comes in a bottle. Prime Energy, which is sold in cans, was launched in 2023 and contains a comparable amount of caffeine to other top-selling energy drinks, all within legal limits in the countries where it is sold. It met all FDA guidelines before it was released. The packaging and marketing materials clearly state that this is an energy drink and is not suitable for persons under the age of 18.”
However, Schumer said there was little discernible difference between the way the drinks were marketed, leading parents to think they were buying juice for their kids only to end up with the jitters Elixir, which is the primary energy drink is.
“A simple social media search for Prime will generate a staggering amount of sponsored content, which is advertising,” Schumer said. “This content and the claims made should be investigated, as well as the ingredients and caffeine content in the Prime Energy Drink.”
my city has reached out to KSI, Paul and Schumer for comment.
This comes almost six months after Logan Paul’s death affected by a class action lawsuit about his NFT game, Crypto Zoo, which has reportedly cost investors hundreds of thousands of dollars. Paul admitted that some of the developers of this game “with men“, but in the end he didn’t cheat on anyone and promised compensation to those affected– although it looks like it Paul didn’t do that still.
