Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., called on the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to investigate PRIME, an energy drink brand founded by popular influencers Logan Paul and KSI. Sen. Schumer wants the FDA to look into the drinks’ caffeine content.
PRIME launched in 2022 and quickly exploded in popularity among the duo’s millions of followers, the majority of whom are children. The launch prompted long lines in grocery stores and reports of school yard resale markets.
“One of the summer’s hottest status symbols for kids? Is not an outfit. It’s not a toy. It’s a beverage,” Schumer said at a news conference on Sunday, July 9. “But buyer and parents beware because it’s a serious health concern for the kids it so feverishly targets.”
PRIME energy drinks contain 200 milligrams per 12 ounces. While that caffeine content is similar other energy drinks that are targeted towards adults, pediatricians warned PRIME could have negative health impacts on young children such as heart problems, anxiety and digestive issues.
“We as physicians are very concerned. The strength and the amount of caffeine in these drinks can give children and teens headaches. It can give them jitters, nervousness. It can interfere with the sleep cycle, which is so important to the developing brain,” Dr. Edith Bracho Sanchez, a pediatrician at the NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center, said Sunday. “We’ve seen it happen before, that when these products are marketed and advertised in this flashy, cool way through influencers and celebrities, the first audience that is listening that is ready to purchase in whatever way they can purchase are kids.”
PRIME representatives have defended the drink, saying it is clearly labeled “not recommended for children under 18.” The company also makes a separate sports drink, known as PRIME Hydration, which contains no caffeine at all.
However, Schumer claimed there was little noticeable difference in the online marketing of the two drinks. He said this has led to many parents believing they were purchasing a juice for their kids, only to wind up with a “cauldron of caffeine.”
“A simple search on social media for PRIME will generate an eye-popping amount of sponsored content, which is advertising,” he wrote in his letter to the FDA about the energy drink. “This content and the claims made should be investigated, along with the ingredients and the caffeine content in the PRIME energy drink.”
