Despite ban by food safety panel, energy drinks openly sold in Srinagar markets

SRINAGAR: The departmental stores in Srinagar are openly selling energy drinks like Monster, Cloud 9 and Tzinga despite a ban by Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FASSI) over a month ago.

The drinks, which were banned for their disastrous effects on health like cardiac arrest or irregular heart rhythms and sudden death in children who may have hidden heart ailments, are openly on display at shelves and refrigerators across Srinagar.

Kashmir Reader was able to buy cans of ‘Monster’ and ‘Cloud9’ from some prominent departmental stores in Lal Chowk and Nowgam.

Last month, FASSI banned the sale of at least nine products that come into the category of energy drinks. The products include Monster energy absolutely zero and Monster energy produced by the Mumbai-based Monster Energy India; Cloud9 pomegranate, Cloud9 red grapes, Cloud 9 wild berry and Cloud 9 premium of Pune-based Pushpam Foods and Beverages; and Tzinga lemon mint, Tzinga tropical trip and Tzinga mango strawberry.

The beverages contain combination of ‘caffeine and ginseng’ –a compound extracted from an herb used in traditional Chinese medicines. The FASSI has called the combination ‘irrational’ as it has opposing effects on health. The Monster energy drink contains 240mg of caffeine, about the equivalent of seven cups of coffee.

According to FASSI report, the levels of vitamin B2, B3, B6 and B12 are found above the recommended level of consumption in a single can (475ml) of Monster energy drink. The product is also in violation of section 22 of the Food Safety and Standards (FSS) act as the product contains Taurine, L-carnitine-two amino acids- beside caffeine and ginseng for which an approval is to be sought from FSSAI.

In 2011, a University of Miami researcher in the ‘Journal of Paediatrics’ wrote “Energy drinks have no therapeutic benefits and that “these drinks may put some children at risk for serious adverse health effects”.

Food security officer, Qazi Sarvar said that he was now aware of the issue. “I don’t know anything about it. It’s the job of the food inspector to identify the stores; we can impose a fine on them,” he said.