Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) called for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to investigate the “absurd” amount of caffeine in energy drinks made by Prime Hydration, a brand founded by YouTubers Logan Paul and KSI.
“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,” said Schumer of the drink.
Both Paul and KSI are poplar YouTubers, with a combined following of over 48 million. Paul in particular is known for having a “legion of young fans,” per Mashable.
According to the brand’s website, Paul and KSI first released Prime Hydration drinks in 2022. They offer both “hydration” products with no caffeine and “energy” products with caffeine in several flavors, such as orange mango, ice pop and strawberry watermelon. Each 12 ounce can of Prime Energy has 200 mg of caffeine and the website states it is not recommended for people under 18 years old.
Schumer called the drink a “cauldron of caffeine” and said it has more caffeine than a cup of coffee, a can of Coca-Cola or a Red Bull energy drink. This does check out for the most part – a Coke can the same size as a Prime Energy has 32 mg of caffeine. Red Bull has 80 mg of caffeine, though it is sold in smaller, 8.4-ounce cans, and Monster energy drinks have 160 mg in a 16-ounce can. At Starbucks, a 12-ounce “tall” dark roast coffee has 193 mg of caffeine and the same size Caramel Maccchiato has 75 mg.
Although Prime Energy’s caffeine content is in the range of a cup of coffee, Schumer said it is worrisome since the drink has “become a kid status symbol on social media.” Earlier this year, Paul revealed that the company reported $250 million in retail sales. People can purchase the drinks online and at stores such as 7-Eleven.
A representative for Prime told the BBC that the energy drink “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,” and that it complied with the FDA before hitting the market.
“PRIME is so new that most parents haven’t a clue about it, but it is born from the reels of social media and the enigmatic world of influencers,” Schumer argued. “Kids see it on their phones or as they scroll, and they actually need it and the problem here is that this product has so much caffeine in it that it puts Red Bull to shame, but unlike Red Bull, this product has one true target market: children under the age of 18, and that is why I am sounding the alarm and asking the FDA to investigate PRIME.”
He also said medical experts warn that caffeine can raise blood pressure and interfere with sleep in children, make them less aware of being tired, affect their moods, exacerbate anxiety, and cause withdrawal headaches.
In his letter to the FDA, Schumer asked the administration to investigate health claims by Prime, the marketing of its energy drinks, the safety of its caffeine level and its content warnings.
“As a brand, our top priority is consumer safety, so we welcome discussions with the FDA or any other organization regarding suggested industry changes they feel are necessary in order to protect consumers,” said Prime, per the BBC.
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