Starbucks on Tuesday launched a drink at stores nationwide called Iced Energy, which has as much as 205 milligrams of caffeine in it — concerning the same amount as six cans of Coke. The fruity energy drink debuts lower than two months after bakery-cafe chain Panera Bread announced it was discontinuing its controversial Charged Lemonade, a beverage that lawsuits blamed for 2 deaths and known as a “dangerous energy drink.”
The Iced Energy is available in three flavors, including one only available temporarily through the Starbucks app. Its two in-store menu offerings, Melon Burst and Tropical Citrus, range in caffeine from 180 milligrams to 205 milligrams, in line with Starbucks. That is greater than a grande Starbucks Caffe Latte, which has 150 milligrams of caffeine, but significantly lower than Panera’s Charged Lemonade, which had 390 milligrams of caffeine when it was served in a big, 30-fluid-ounce cup without ice. Panera began phasing out the Charged Lemonade on May 7, and it has denied any wrongdoing, saying it removed the beverage as a part of a broader menu transformation.
Aside from its limited-edition Frozen Tropical Citrus Iced Energy with Strawberry Puree, Iced Energy is sugar-free, made with artificial sweeteners. All flavors are sold in Starbucks’ venti, 24-fluid-ounce size only and have caffeine, vitamins and taurine — an amino acid common in popular energy drinks that has been touted as helping to enhance exercise performance, though more studies are needed. While taurine shouldn’t be a stimulant, some animal studies indicate that regular consumption of it in high doses could possibly be harmful to adolescents’ developing brains.
Charged Lemonade, alternatively, contained sugar and guarana extract, a stimulant that purportedly aids with weight reduction and improves cognition, but that may be unsafe when it’s taken long-term in large amounts.
Charged Lemonade and Iced Energy are a part of a growing category called “functional beverages” that chains big and small are wanting to jump into, in line with experts. Such beverages contain ingredients which can be said to enhance health.
“You are just seeing that desire for functional beverages taking hold in a number of different beverage segments,” said Brian Warrener, director of the Center for Beverage Education & Innovation at Johnson & Wales University in Windfall, Rhode Island, adding that nonalcoholic “mocktail” elixirs is one other area of enormous growth inside functional beverages. “Consumers imagine that there may be some profit.”
Starbucks’ recent drink comes amid a slew of comparable options elsewhere. In February, as Panera reeled from the multiple lawsuits over its Charged Lemonade, Dunkin’ introduced SPARKD’ Energy beverages, fizzy energy drinks with guarana and taurine that are available in peach and berry flavors and have as much as 192 milligrams of caffeine. Smoothie King offers lemonade refreshers which have as much as 125 milligrams of “natural caffeine” from green coffee beans.
The energy drink market as a complete has exploded: As of mid-May, annual U.S. sales of energy drinks had surged to almost $22 billion, up from about $13.5 billion at the top of 2019, in line with Circana, a Chicago-based market research firm.
And energy drinks have more caffeine than ever. Red Bull, which has been sold for many years, incorporates 114 milligrams of caffeine in a 12-fluid-ounce can, while many more recent brands, including Celsius, contain 200 milligrams or more. Others, similar to Bang, have 300 milligrams.
The Food and Drug Administration says healthy adults can generally eat as much as 400 milligrams of caffeine per day, the akin to about 4 or five cups of coffee.
Starbucks’ menu has items that approach that level, similar to the grande blonde roast hot coffee, which has 360 milligrams.
While most adults can have caffeine, the American Academy of Pediatrics says there aren’t any advantages of caffeine for youngsters, and it has specifically stated that adolescents should avoid energy drinks due to health concerns.
A growing number of nations have banned sales of energy drinks to children, with Russia being the most recent country to maneuver to halt sales to those under 18. Within the U.S., multiple state-led efforts to do the identical have failed.
Starbucks’ Iced Energy is different from its refreshers, popular caffeinated juices with about 30 milligrams or more of caffeine — just over the quantity in a can of Coke. Starbucks baristas have shared on TikTok that oldsters will not be at all times aware that refreshers contain caffeine after they get them organized for his or her children.
Starbucks didn’t immediately reply to questions on whether it will take any steps to stop children from drinking its recent energy drinks, but said in an email Tuesday morning that its venti Iced Energy beverages are similar in caffeine content to a grande, 16-fluid-ounce Starbucks Cold Brew, which has 205 milligrams.
