Red Bull: More cocaine traces, countries ban energy drinks

June 2, 3:07 PMSF Health News ExaminerJefferson Adams

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Health officials in Germany, Austria, and now Hong Kong confirm that they
have found trace levels of cocaine in test samples of Red Bull energy drinks.
German retailers have stopped selling Red Bull Cola energy drinks after
tests by authorities in North Rhine-Westphalia state found 0.4 micrograms of
cocaine per liter in the drink. Photo: Creative Commons: Cezary Okupsky

Stores in China have become the latest to see Red Bull fast disappearing from store shelves; not because of high sales, but because authorities in Hong Kong claim to have found traces of cocaine in the popular energy drink, and have ordered the product pulled from stores, according to reports by Agence France-Presse.

The action comes just days after officials in Taiwan seized nearly 18,000 cases imported from Austria on suspicion that they contained cocaine traces. Meanwhile, Austrian health officials confirm that they have found trace levels of cocaine in test samples of Red Bull Cola energy drinks. This after retailers in six German states have stopped selling Red Bull Cola energy drinks after tests by authorities in North Rhine-Westphalia state found 0.4 micrograms of cocaine per liter in the drink. Austrian health ministry spokeswoman Sigrid Rosenberger said the findings hovered near the lowest detectable levels, and do not pose a health risk.

Hong Kong's Centre for Food Safety claimed to find cocaine traces measuring between 0.1 and 0.3 micrograms per liter – too low to constitute a danger to consumers. Commissioner of Narcotics Sally Wong said the government assessing whether importers and retailers might face charges.

Red Bull officials said the company found no traces of cocaine in its independent tests. The company maintains that the product in question, Red Bull Cola, is "harmless."

Red Bull notes that their products contain analogous coca leaf extracts as a flavoring agent in the making of its cola, but insists that the illegal cocaine alkaloid is removed by law before being shipped outside the Andean region of South America. Moreover, they claim that their own tests show no traces of actual cocaine.

Daniel Beatty, Red Bull’s Asia Pacific marketing director claims that it is simply “impossible for the Hong Kong or any other authorities to have found traces of cocaine in Red Bull Energy Drink." He added that Red Bull expects the “Hong Kong authorities to recognize their error soon."