Traces of Cocaine Found in Red Bull Cola
Posted on May 25, 2009
Well, this certainly helps explain why Red Bull can give you wings: a can of Red Bull Cola was found in Germany which contained traces of cocaine. The Daily Mail reports that government officials are furious and are considering banning the drink from the country.
Bernhard Kuehnle, head of the food safety department at the federal ministry for consumer protection in Germany, says, "The institute examined Red Bull Cola in an elaborate chemical process and found traces of cocaine."
German authorities say the cocaine levels do not pose a health threat. However, they also are not permitted in food products.
Red Bull is already protesting bans on the product in Germany. A spokesperson for the company says, "De-cocainized extract of coca leaf is used worldwide in foods as a natural flavouring."
Red Bull says that decocained coca leaf is used in all kinds of products and that it's perfectly safe. But authorities have already ordered retailers in the German states of Hesse and North-Rhine Westphalia to stop selling the drink.
De-Cocainized Coca Leaves Legal in Most CountriesDe-cocainized coca leaves are legal for use in most countries, including the U.S. The key here is that the leaves are de-cocainized first. If traces of cocaine were found in the Red Bull Cola, clearly there is some kind of quality control issue at the manufacturing plant. The company better get it under control because the U.S. is not going to look kindly on having cocaine-laced energy drinks in the grocery stores.
Red Bull IngredientsRed Bull describes its ingredients on redbull.com listing caffeine, B-group vitamins, real sugars, taurine and water. They note that a 8.4 fl oz can of Red Bull Energy Drink is about the same as a cup of coffee - 80 mg for Red Bull compared to 95 mg in a 8 fl oz home-brewed cup of coffee.