Sparks suit
This article was originally published in The Tan Sheet
Executive Summary
The Center for Science in the Public Interest's law suit against Chicago-based MillerCoors Brewing Co. alleges "reckless, predatory" marketing of its alcoholic energy drink, which the group also says contains unapproved ingredients. Sparks contains 6 to 7 percent alcohol by volume, compared to 4 to 5 percent for regular beer, and is "designed to mask feelings of drunkenness and to encourage people to keep drinking past the point at which they otherwise would have stopped," George A. Hacker, director of CSPI's alcohol policies project, says Sept. 8. The center's suit in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia also points out that the presence of caffeine, guarana, ginseng and taurine in Sparks is illegal since the Treasury Department's Tax and Trade Bureau prohibits manufacturers from including ingredients not generally recognized as safe in alcoholic beverages