Four (drink)
Encyclopedia
Four Loko is a line of alcoholic beverages, originally marketed as energy drink
s, sold by Phusion Projects of Chicago, Illinois
. Phusion operates as Drink Four Brewing Company. Four Loko, the company's most popular beverage, debuted in the United States
market in 2005. It is now sold in 30 states and in Canada
& Europe
. The name "Four" is derived from the original energy drink's four main ingredients: alcohol
, caffeine
, taurine, and guarana
.
Four branded products have been the object of legal, ethical, and health concerns related to the company allegedly marketing
them to minors and the purported danger of combining alcohol
and caffeine
. After the beverage was banned in several states, a product reintroduction in December 2010 removed caffeine, taurine, and guarana as ingredients, and the malt beverage is no longer marketed as an energy drink.
Four Loko contains carbonated water
, sugar, and natural and artificial flavoring including FD&C Red 40
.
Four MaXed is available in two flavors: Gold (citrus) and Grape. Four Loko is available in eight flavors: Uva Berry (Grape), Fruit Punch, Orange Blend, Watermelon, Blue Raspberry, Lemon Lime, Lemonade, and Cranberry Lemonade.
In early 2011, Phusion Projects introduced its Four Loko XXX Limited Edition line, which featured a new flavor of Four Loko every few months. In January 2011, they debuted with Green Apple, followed by Blueberry Lemonade in May.
In Summer 2011 Phusion Projects introduced 12oz glass bottles of Four Loko, with Lemonade, Fruit Punch, and Watermelon flavors. Bottles came in packs of six and had 8% ABV as opposed to 12%.
Phusion Projects announced they will be selling 16oz cans of their drink in hi-cone four packs known as Four Poco Loko. They will be 8% ABV and have black cherry, mango, lemonade, and green apple flavors. Four Poco Loko will debut in September 2011.
Original formulations of both beverages were a malt liquor
-based, caffeinated
alcoholic energy drink with added guarana
and taurine. The formulations were developed by three alumni of The Ohio State University: Chris Hunter, Jeff Wright, and Jaisen Freeman.
In 2008, Phusion Projects began selling their products in Europe. The European version of Four MaXed is sold in 8.3–oz. (250mL) glass bottles and aluminum cans and is spirit-based
; the United States version has a malt liquor
base.
In 2009, Four Loko ranked fourth in sales growth among alcoholic beverages at 7-Eleven
stores in the United States.
On November 16, 2010, Phusion Projects issued a press release announcing that the company would be reformulating all Four brand beverages to remove caffeine, guarana, and taurine from the products. The new product was reintroduced in January 2011.
A University of Florida
study found that students who mixed caffeine and alcohol thought they were capable of drinking more total alcohol than those who drank non-caffeinated alcoholic drinks.
began active investigations of companies which produced and sold caffeinated alcohol beverages, on the grounds that they were being inappropriately marketed to a teenage audience. The attorneys general were also concerned that these drinks could pose health risks by masking feelings of intoxication. In December 2008, Anheuser-Busch
, manufacturer of Tilt
and Bud Extra, as well as MillerCoors
, manufacturer of Sparks
agreed to reformulate their drinks. In 2009, smaller companies such as Phusion fell under investigation because of their rise in market share
.
The drink came under major fire in 2010, as colleges and universities across the United States began to see injuries and blackouts related to the drink's use. The University of Rhode Island banned
this product from their campus on November 5, 2010. The state of Washington banned Four Loko after nine university students aged 17 to 19 from Central Washington University
in Ellensburg, Washington
became ill at a house party in Roslyn, Washington
. The university students were hospitalized and one university student, with a blood alcohol level
of .30%, almost died, according to CWU President James L. Gaudino.
In October 2010, following the hospitalization of seventeen students and six visitors, Ramapo College
of New Jersey banned the possession and consumption of Four Loko on its campus. As a result, Worcester State University stopped the sale of all energy drinks, and they as well as Boston College
have informed their students of the risks involved in consuming Four beverages. By November, 2010 dozens of other colleges and universities sent out notices informing their students to avoid the drink, while several more have placed outright bans on their campuses.
Other efforts to control the statewide use of Four have been under way. The Daily Collegian, Penn State's student newspaper reported that on November 1 the Pennsylvania
Liquor Control Board sent letters to all liquor stores urging distributors to discontinue the sale of the drink. The PLCB also sent letters to all Colleges and Universities warning them of the dangers of the drink. While the board has stopped short of a ban, it has asked retailers to stop selling the drink until U.S. Food and Drug Administration
(FDA) findings prove they are safe. Pennsylvania State Representative Vanessa Lowery Brown, however, seeks to introduce legislation to ban alcoholic energy drinks in the state.
Several stores, including Tops Markets, Price Chopper and Wegmans have voluntarily pulled the product from their shelves. Shortly after these stores did so, Governor of New York
David Paterson
announced that Phusion was withdrawing the beverage from the state of New York as of November 19, 2010.
On November 20, 2010, Oregon
Liquor Control Commission's five citizen commissioners held an emergency meeting resulting in a 4-1 vote on the ban. The ban became effective immediately and is in effect until May 18, 2011. The ban required businesses to cease the sale of alcoholic energy drinks and pull existing items off the shelf, immediately. The sale of the restricted products during this period carries a penalty of 30 day suspension of liquor license.
Utah, which has a state-run alcoholic beverage distribution system, never allowed alcoholic energy drinks to go on sale there. Michigan and Oklahoma have voted to ban the sale of alcohol energy drinks over health and safety concerns. Additionally, the Washington State Liquor Control Board voted to ban the sale of alcoholic energy drinks, which went into effect on November 18, 2010. The vote came as a result of the incident at Central Washington University. The New York State Liquor Authority has also banned their sale and distribution as of November 19, 2010. New York state senator Chuck Schumer and New York City councilman James Sanders Jr. have approached the Obama administration to ban Four Loko across the state of New York.
issued a warning letter to four manufacturers of caffeinated alcohol beverages citing that the caffeine added to their malt alcoholic beverages is an “unsafe food additive” and said that further action, including seizure of their products, may occur under federal law. It declared that beverages that combine caffeine with alcohol, such as Four energy drinks, are a "public health concern" and can't stay on the market in their current form. The FDA also stated that concerns have been raised that caffeine can mask some of the sensory cues individuals might normally rely on to determine their level of intoxication. Warning letters were issued to each of the four companies requiring them to provide to the FDA in writing within 15 days of the specific steps the firms will be taking.
The four companies receiving the warning letter are:
and collectible cans of the drink were being sold on eBay
. In late December 2010, a reformulated version of the drink was put on shelves. The new product had exactly the same design as the original except without any mention of caffeine, guarana, or taurine (ingredients in the original drink). However, illegal sales of the original drink continued, usually for a price of roughly $15 per 24 ounce can.
Four has announced that it will be releasing a new product, Four Loko XXX Limited Edition, in January 2011. The drink will feature a brand new Four Loko flavor that will change every four months. The first flavor will be Green Apple, followed by the release of Blueberry Lemonade in May. As with other reformulated Four beverages, the drink will contain no caffeine or other stimulants.
Energy drink
Energy drinks are beverages whose producers advertise that they "boost energy." These advertisements usually do not emphasize energy derived from the sugar and caffeine they contain but rather increased energy release due to a variety of stimulants and vitamins....
s, sold by Phusion Projects of Chicago, Illinois
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
. Phusion operates as Drink Four Brewing Company. Four Loko, the company's most popular beverage, debuted in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
market in 2005. It is now sold in 30 states and in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
& Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. The name "Four" is derived from the original energy drink's four main ingredients: alcohol
Ethanol
Ethanol, also called ethyl alcohol, pure alcohol, grain alcohol, or drinking alcohol, is a volatile, flammable, colorless liquid. It is a psychoactive drug and one of the oldest recreational drugs. Best known as the type of alcohol found in alcoholic beverages, it is also used in thermometers, as a...
, caffeine
Caffeine
Caffeine is a bitter, white crystalline xanthine alkaloid that acts as a stimulant drug. Caffeine is found in varying quantities in the seeds, leaves, and fruit of some plants, where it acts as a natural pesticide that paralyzes and kills certain insects feeding on the plants...
, taurine, and guarana
Guarana
Guarana , Paullinia cupana, syn. P. crysan, P. sorbilis) is a climbing plant in the maple family, Sapindaceae, native to the Amazon basin and especially common in Brazil. Guarana features large leaves and clusters of flowers, and is best known for its fruit, which is about the size of a coffee bean...
.
Four branded products have been the object of legal, ethical, and health concerns related to the company allegedly marketing
Marketing
Marketing is the process used to determine what products or services may be of interest to customers, and the strategy to use in sales, communications and business development. It generates the strategy that underlies sales techniques, business communication, and business developments...
them to minors and the purported danger of combining alcohol
Alcohol
In chemistry, an alcohol is an organic compound in which the hydroxy functional group is bound to a carbon atom. In particular, this carbon center should be saturated, having single bonds to three other atoms....
and caffeine
Caffeine
Caffeine is a bitter, white crystalline xanthine alkaloid that acts as a stimulant drug. Caffeine is found in varying quantities in the seeds, leaves, and fruit of some plants, where it acts as a natural pesticide that paralyzes and kills certain insects feeding on the plants...
. After the beverage was banned in several states, a product reintroduction in December 2010 removed caffeine, taurine, and guarana as ingredients, and the malt beverage is no longer marketed as an energy drink.
Product line
There are two product lines within the Four brand:- Four Loko — contains either 6% or 12% alcohol by volumeAlcohol by volumeAlcohol by volume is a standard measure of how much alcohol is contained in an alcoholic beverage .The ABV standard is used worldwide....
(ABV), depending on state regulations, and is packaged in 23.5 oz. cans - Four MaXed — contains 10% ABV and is packaged in 16 oz. cans.
Four Loko contains carbonated water
Carbonated water
Carbonated water is water into which carbon dioxide gas under pressure has been dissolved, a process that causes the water to become effervescent....
, sugar, and natural and artificial flavoring including FD&C Red 40
Allura Red AC
Allura Red AC is a red azo dye that goes by several names including: Allura Red, Food Red 17, C.I. 16035, FD&C Red 40, 2-naphthalenesulfonic acid, 6-hydroxy-5--, disodium salt, and disodium 6-hydroxy-5--2-naphthalenesulfonate. It is used as a food dye and has the E number E129...
.
Four MaXed is available in two flavors: Gold (citrus) and Grape. Four Loko is available in eight flavors: Uva Berry (Grape), Fruit Punch, Orange Blend, Watermelon, Blue Raspberry, Lemon Lime, Lemonade, and Cranberry Lemonade.
In early 2011, Phusion Projects introduced its Four Loko XXX Limited Edition line, which featured a new flavor of Four Loko every few months. In January 2011, they debuted with Green Apple, followed by Blueberry Lemonade in May.
In Summer 2011 Phusion Projects introduced 12oz glass bottles of Four Loko, with Lemonade, Fruit Punch, and Watermelon flavors. Bottles came in packs of six and had 8% ABV as opposed to 12%.
Phusion Projects announced they will be selling 16oz cans of their drink in hi-cone four packs known as Four Poco Loko. They will be 8% ABV and have black cherry, mango, lemonade, and green apple flavors. Four Poco Loko will debut in September 2011.
Original formulations of both beverages were a malt liquor
Malt liquor
Malt liquor is a North American term referring to a type of beer with high alcohol content. In legal statutes, the term often includes any alcoholic beverage above or equal to 5% alcohol by volume made with malted barley. In common parlance, however, it is used for high-alcohol beers made with...
-based, caffeinated
Caffeine
Caffeine is a bitter, white crystalline xanthine alkaloid that acts as a stimulant drug. Caffeine is found in varying quantities in the seeds, leaves, and fruit of some plants, where it acts as a natural pesticide that paralyzes and kills certain insects feeding on the plants...
alcoholic energy drink with added guarana
Guarana
Guarana , Paullinia cupana, syn. P. crysan, P. sorbilis) is a climbing plant in the maple family, Sapindaceae, native to the Amazon basin and especially common in Brazil. Guarana features large leaves and clusters of flowers, and is best known for its fruit, which is about the size of a coffee bean...
and taurine. The formulations were developed by three alumni of The Ohio State University: Chris Hunter, Jeff Wright, and Jaisen Freeman.
In 2008, Phusion Projects began selling their products in Europe. The European version of Four MaXed is sold in 8.3–oz. (250mL) glass bottles and aluminum cans and is spirit-based
Distilled beverage
A distilled beverage, liquor, or spirit is an alcoholic beverage containing ethanol that is produced by distilling ethanol produced by means of fermenting grain, fruit, or vegetables...
; the United States version has a malt liquor
Malt liquor
Malt liquor is a North American term referring to a type of beer with high alcohol content. In legal statutes, the term often includes any alcoholic beverage above or equal to 5% alcohol by volume made with malted barley. In common parlance, however, it is used for high-alcohol beers made with...
base.
In 2009, Four Loko ranked fourth in sales growth among alcoholic beverages at 7-Eleven
7-Eleven
7-Eleven is part of an international chain of convenience stores, operating under Seven-Eleven Japan Co. Ltd, which in turn is owned by Seven & I Holdings Co...
stores in the United States.
On November 16, 2010, Phusion Projects issued a press release announcing that the company would be reformulating all Four brand beverages to remove caffeine, guarana, and taurine from the products. The new product was reintroduced in January 2011.
Health risks
Four MaXed has been criticized for the potential danger in mixing caffeine and alcohol. When alcohol and caffeine are combined, drinkers have reported a reduction of the sensations typically associated with alcohol; this is believed to be a result of caffeine counteracting the depressive effects and keeping the individual more alert. However, when the caffeine wears off the person feels the full effects of the alcohol. This can lead to excess consumption of alcohol because the delayed feeling of drunkenness leads an individual to seek additional alcohol to obtain the same sensations as those found in previous encounters.A University of Florida
University of Florida
The University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...
study found that students who mixed caffeine and alcohol thought they were capable of drinking more total alcohol than those who drank non-caffeinated alcoholic drinks.
Restrictions on sale
In 2009, a group of US state attorneys generalState Attorney General
The state attorney general in each of the 50 U.S. states and territories is the chief legal advisor to the state government and the state's chief law enforcement officer. In some states, the attorney general serves as the head of a state department of justice, with responsibilities similar to those...
began active investigations of companies which produced and sold caffeinated alcohol beverages, on the grounds that they were being inappropriately marketed to a teenage audience. The attorneys general were also concerned that these drinks could pose health risks by masking feelings of intoxication. In December 2008, Anheuser-Busch
Anheuser-Busch
Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc. , is an American brewing company. The company operates 12 breweries in the United States and 18 in other countries. It was, until December 2009, also one of America's largest theme park operators; operating ten theme parks across the United States through the...
, manufacturer of Tilt
Tilt (drink)
Tilt is an alcoholic beverage that debuted in the US market in August 2005. Its alcoholic content by volume varies and is higher than most American beer , 10% in the lemon lime flavor, to 12% in the new Tilt Red variety, which is a blend of fruit flavors such as cherry, orange, grape, lime and...
and Bud Extra, as well as MillerCoors
MillerCoors
MillerCoors is a joint venture between SABMiller and Molson Coors Brewing Company, announced on October 9, 2007. The joint venture has the responsibility of selling brands such as Miller Lite, Miller High Life, Miller Genuine Draft, Coors, Coors Light, Molson Canadian, and Blue Moon in the United...
, manufacturer of Sparks
Sparks (drink)
Sparks is an alcoholic beverage that debuted in the US market in 2002. The original formulation contained caffeine, one of the first alcoholic beverages to do so. Its other original active ingredients included taurine, ginseng and guarana, common to energy drinks.Packaged in a can, its labeling...
agreed to reformulate their drinks. In 2009, smaller companies such as Phusion fell under investigation because of their rise in market share
Market share
Market share is the percentage of a market accounted for by a specific entity. In a survey of nearly 200 senior marketing managers, 67 percent responded that they found the "dollar market share" metric very useful, while 61% found "unit market share" very useful.Marketers need to be able to...
.
The drink came under major fire in 2010, as colleges and universities across the United States began to see injuries and blackouts related to the drink's use. The University of Rhode Island banned
Ban on caffeinated alcoholic beverages
The ban on caffeinated alcoholic beverages in the United States was a result of multiple cases of alcohol poisoning and alcohol related blackouts. The majority of these alcohol poisoning cases were found on college campuses throughout the United States. Caffeinated alcoholic drinks such as Four...
this product from their campus on November 5, 2010. The state of Washington banned Four Loko after nine university students aged 17 to 19 from Central Washington University
Central Washington University
Central Washington University, often abbreviated CWU, is a public university in Ellensburg, Washington in the United States.This location was selected by the state legislature as a consolation prize after Ellensburg lost its bid to be state capital...
in Ellensburg, Washington
Ellensburg, Washington
Ellensburg is a city in, and the county seat of, Kittitas County, Washington, United States. The population was 18,174 at the 2010 census. The population was 18,250 at 2011 Estimate from Office of Financial Management. Ellensburg is located just east of the Cascade Range on I-90 and is known as the...
became ill at a house party in Roslyn, Washington
Roslyn, Washington
Roslyn is a city in Kittitas County, Washington, United States. The population was 893 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Roslyn is located at...
. The university students were hospitalized and one university student, with a blood alcohol level
Blood alcohol content
Blood alcohol content , also called blood alcohol concentration, blood ethanol concentration, or blood alcohol level is most commonly used as a metric of alcohol intoxication for legal or medical purposes....
of .30%, almost died, according to CWU President James L. Gaudino.
In October 2010, following the hospitalization of seventeen students and six visitors, Ramapo College
Ramapo College
Ramapo College of New Jersey is a public liberal arts and professional studies institution of the New Jersey system of higher education.- Location :...
of New Jersey banned the possession and consumption of Four Loko on its campus. As a result, Worcester State University stopped the sale of all energy drinks, and they as well as Boston College
Boston College
Boston College is a private Jesuit research university located in the village of Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, USA. The main campus is bisected by the border between the cities of Boston and Newton. It has 9,200 full-time undergraduates and 4,000 graduate students. Its name reflects its early...
have informed their students of the risks involved in consuming Four beverages. By November, 2010 dozens of other colleges and universities sent out notices informing their students to avoid the drink, while several more have placed outright bans on their campuses.
Other efforts to control the statewide use of Four have been under way. The Daily Collegian, Penn State's student newspaper reported that on November 1 the Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
Liquor Control Board sent letters to all liquor stores urging distributors to discontinue the sale of the drink. The PLCB also sent letters to all Colleges and Universities warning them of the dangers of the drink. While the board has stopped short of a ban, it has asked retailers to stop selling the drink until U.S. Food and Drug Administration
Food and Drug Administration
The Food and Drug Administration is an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, one of the United States federal executive departments...
(FDA) findings prove they are safe. Pennsylvania State Representative Vanessa Lowery Brown, however, seeks to introduce legislation to ban alcoholic energy drinks in the state.
Several stores, including Tops Markets, Price Chopper and Wegmans have voluntarily pulled the product from their shelves. Shortly after these stores did so, Governor of New York
Governor of New York
The Governor of the State of New York is the chief executive of the State of New York. The governor is the head of the executive branch of New York's state government and the commander-in-chief of the state's military and naval forces. The officeholder is afforded the courtesy title of His/Her...
David Paterson
David Paterson
David Alexander Paterson is an American politician who served as the 55th Governor of New York, from 2008 to 2010. During his tenure he was the first governor of New York of African American heritage and also the second legally blind governor of any U.S. state after Bob C. Riley, who was Acting...
announced that Phusion was withdrawing the beverage from the state of New York as of November 19, 2010.
On November 20, 2010, Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
Liquor Control Commission's five citizen commissioners held an emergency meeting resulting in a 4-1 vote on the ban. The ban became effective immediately and is in effect until May 18, 2011. The ban required businesses to cease the sale of alcoholic energy drinks and pull existing items off the shelf, immediately. The sale of the restricted products during this period carries a penalty of 30 day suspension of liquor license.
Utah, which has a state-run alcoholic beverage distribution system, never allowed alcoholic energy drinks to go on sale there. Michigan and Oklahoma have voted to ban the sale of alcohol energy drinks over health and safety concerns. Additionally, the Washington State Liquor Control Board voted to ban the sale of alcoholic energy drinks, which went into effect on November 18, 2010. The vote came as a result of the incident at Central Washington University. The New York State Liquor Authority has also banned their sale and distribution as of November 19, 2010. New York state senator Chuck Schumer and New York City councilman James Sanders Jr. have approached the Obama administration to ban Four Loko across the state of New York.
FDA warning
On November 17, 2010 the U.S. FDA Food and Drug AdministrationFood and Drug Administration
The Food and Drug Administration is an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, one of the United States federal executive departments...
issued a warning letter to four manufacturers of caffeinated alcohol beverages citing that the caffeine added to their malt alcoholic beverages is an “unsafe food additive” and said that further action, including seizure of their products, may occur under federal law. It declared that beverages that combine caffeine with alcohol, such as Four energy drinks, are a "public health concern" and can't stay on the market in their current form. The FDA also stated that concerns have been raised that caffeine can mask some of the sensory cues individuals might normally rely on to determine their level of intoxication. Warning letters were issued to each of the four companies requiring them to provide to the FDA in writing within 15 days of the specific steps the firms will be taking.
The four companies receiving the warning letter are:
- Charge Beverages Corp.: Core High Gravity HG, Core High Gravity HG Orange, and Lemon Lime Core Spiked
- New Century Brewing Co., LLC: Moonshot
- Phusion Projects, LLC (doing business as Drink Four Brewing Co.): Four Loko
- United Brands Company Inc.: Joose and Max
Post-ban
Starting weeks prior to the FDA ruling, many fans and others seeking financial gain purchased large quantities of the drink. This buying rush quickly created a black market for the drink, with many sellers charging nearly five times the drink's retail price. Four Loko appeared on CraigslistCraigslist
Craigslist is a centralized network of online communities featuring free online classified advertisements, with sections devoted to jobs, housing, personals, for sale, services, community, gigs, résumés, and discussion forums....
and collectible cans of the drink were being sold on eBay
EBay
eBay Inc. is an American internet consumer-to-consumer corporation that manages eBay.com, an online auction and shopping website in which people and businesses buy and sell a broad variety of goods and services worldwide...
. In late December 2010, a reformulated version of the drink was put on shelves. The new product had exactly the same design as the original except without any mention of caffeine, guarana, or taurine (ingredients in the original drink). However, illegal sales of the original drink continued, usually for a price of roughly $15 per 24 ounce can.
Four has announced that it will be releasing a new product, Four Loko XXX Limited Edition, in January 2011. The drink will feature a brand new Four Loko flavor that will change every four months. The first flavor will be Green Apple, followed by the release of Blueberry Lemonade in May. As with other reformulated Four beverages, the drink will contain no caffeine or other stimulants.