NEW YORK -- UPDATE:
Just a day after New York State's largest beer distributors agreed to stop selling alcoholic energy drinks, an agreement with the makers of Four Loko will halt shipments of the controversial drink to the Empire State.
Governor David Paterson and the State Liquor Authority announced today Phusion Products has agreed to stop shipping alcoholic beverages that contain caffeine and other stimulants to New York by Friday, November 19th.
"New Yorkers deserve to know that the beverages they buy are safe for consumption," Governor Paterson said. "The voluntary agreement reached this weekend between beverage distributors and the State Liquor Authority is an important first step toward permanently removing alcoholic energy drinks from the marketplace. I'll continue to work with the beverage industry to protect the safety of all New Yorkers. I'd like to thank Chairman Rosen for his efforts on this issue and the beverage industry for working with the State to achieve this agreement."
"We have an obligation to keep products that are potentially hazardous off the shelves, and there is simply not enough research to show that these products are safe. I want to thank the industry, particularly the New York State Beer Wholesalers Association, for stepping up to the plate and helping us accomplish this in an orderly fashion. I also want to thank Governor Paterson, Senator Schumer and State Senator Jeffrey Klein for bringing these issues as well as the dangers of binge drinking among youths to the forefront," SLA Chairman Dennis Rosen said.
Also, Phusion Products has agreed to fund alcohol awareness programs to educate licensees and consumers about the dangers of alcohol and binge drinking.
Four Loko has dominated headlines in recent weeks. Wegmans and Tops Markets pulled the drink from their shelves, and Senator Charles Schumer has been calling for a ban on alcoholic energy drinks.
Saturday Night from the Associated Press:
New York's largest beer distributors agreed late Saturday to stop selling caffeinated alcoholic drinks that come in tall, colorful cans and to purge their inventory of the products, the state's Liquor Authority said in a statement obtained by The Associated Press ahead of an expected announcement.
Details of an undercover sting intended to determine whether the fruit-flavored concoctions were being sold to minors were also expected to be announced Sunday. New York's liquor regulators said that they had determined there was insufficient evidence to show that the products were safe.
"We have an obligation to keep products that are potentially hazardous off the shelves, and there is simply not enough research to show that these products are safe," said Dennis Rosen, chairman of the state Liquor Authority, in the statement. It was not immediately clear which distributors had signed on to the voluntary ban, but the state Beer Wholesalers Association was quoted in the statement as saying it applauded the liquor authority for its "willingness to work with the industry."
The association didn't respond to an e-mail requesting comment. The state liquor authority didn't respond to an e-mail or a call Saturday night.
U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer commended the deal, which came a few months after he called on the Federal Trade Commission to investigate whether beverage companies were tailoring marketing of the drinks to underage drinkers.
"This is a giant step forward keeping our kids safe from these toxic and dangerous brews," he said in a statement. But he said smaller distributors also needed to agree to stop selling the drinks. "We also still urge the state Liquor Authority to ban the drinks outright because not every distributor will be as forward-thinking as the ones who came to this agreement."
The popular drinks, which can have up to four times as much alcohol as four beers and have cartoon-worthy names like Four Loko, have been banned in Washington, Michigan, Utah and Oklahoma. College students have been hospitalized after drinking the beverages, including in New Jersey, where one school banned them on campus.
The company that makes Four Loko, Phusion Project, didn't respond to an e-mail Saturday requesting comment about the deal. On its website, the company said it doesn't "agree with the notion that mixing caffeine and alcohol is inherently unsafe. We do agree with the goal of keeping adults of legal age who choose to drink responsibly as safe and as informed as possible," said the statement signed by the company's co-founders.
The federal Food and Drug Administration said in late 2009 that it had notified at least 30 caffeinated alcoholic drinks manufacturers that they were reviewing the products' safety. Distributors will have until Dec. 10 to clear their inventory.
