Leading U.S. brewer Anheuser-Busch has agreed to stop selling energy drinks containing alcohol in response to an investigation by a group of state attorneys general, Reuters reported June 26.

The brewer also reached a similar settlement with the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), in which it pledged to call on other alcohol producers to also stop making pre-packaged caffeinated alcohol beverages, according to a June 26 CSPI press release.

"We have determined that competing in the prepackaged caffeinated alcohol beverage sector may detract from our reputation as the global industry leader in promoting responsibility among adults who drink and discouraging underage drinking," said Francine Katz, vice president of communications and consumer affairs for the company.

Anheuser-Busch said it would stop making caffeinated versions of its Bud Extra and Tilt beverages and also remove the stimulant guarana from the products. The company also will pay $200,000 to the states that took part in the investigation.

Attorneys general from 11 states launched an investigation into alcoholic energy drinks produced by more than a dozen companies, including market leader Miller SAB, which produces Sparks. The AGs praised Anheuser-Busch's decision but also noted that their investigation found that the company made false and misleading statements about the health effects of Tilt and Bud Extra and that ads for the products were aimed at consumers under age 21.

"We were concerned that these beverages were being aggressively marketed over the Internet with a strong focus on college populations," said Maine Attorney General Steven Rowe. "The nature and tenor and content of the ads was clearly targeting underage drinkers as well as others," added Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal.

The Center for Science in the Public Interest, which threatened to sue Anheuser-Busch and other manufacturers of alcoholic energy drinks, called on Miller to follow Anheuser-Busch's lead in dropping the products. "Failure to do so will signal Miller Brewing Company's callous indifference to youth alcohol problems and its insistence on profits at the expense of public health and safety," reads a CSPI letter that the advocacy group is urging supporters to send to Miller President and CEO Tom Long.

“We are pleased that Anheuser-Busch has agreed to take the caffeine and other stimulants out of its alcoholic drinks, and that it was not necessary to formally proceed with litigation,” said CSPI alcohol policies project director George A. Hacker. “We particularly appreciate the call that Anheuser-Busch is making to distillers and other brewers to likewise reformulate these ill-conceived products.”

Links:

• Anheuser-Busch agreement with the Attorneys General (PDF)
  
• Anheuser-Busch agreement with the Center for Science in the Public Interest (PDF)