Personal Injury Law

FDA Issues Warning Letters to Manufacturers of Caffeinated Alcoholic Beverages

By Kenneth Odza

The following is authored by guest blogger Jake Storms, from the Alcoholic Beverages Law Blog.

In an update to an earlier blog post, the FDA issued warning letters today to four manufacturers of caffeinated alcoholic beverages. The FDA stated in the letters that caffeine added to malt alcoholic beverages was an 'unsafe food additive ' and thus, such products are in violation of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act ('FFDCA').

Recipients of the letters, which included Charge Beverages Corp.; New Century Brewing Co., LLC; Phusion Projects, LLC (d/b/a Drink Four Brewing Co.); and United Brands Company Inc., have 15 days from receipt of the letter to respond to the FDA with their respective mitigation measures. Those companies may also challenge the ruling that their particular products are in violation. Failure to comply could result in enforcement actions by the FDA, including seizure of merchandize.

The FDA's move was considered an almost certainty given the myriad of recent actions taken by a number of states to curb or ban the sale of caffeinated alcoholic beverages.

Full post as published by Food Liability Law Blog on November 18, 2010 (boomark / email).