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The flavored malt beverage drink is available again in Texas for sale and distribution, the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission announced Wednesday in a release. Now, however, the beverage doesn't contain the stimulant caffeine.
This all comes because the TABC recently approved reformulated versions of the drink that has been popular among binge-drinking college students. The action by TABC officials came more than a month after the agency had asked members of the alcoholic beverage industry to voluntarily halt sales of the caffeinated malt beverages in Texas.
At that time, Four Loko, manufactured by Phusion Projects, had been connected with a wreck in Denton in which a 14-year-old Arlington girl, Valeria Rodriguez, was killed.
A boy who survived the wreck told police that he, Rodriguez and her 14-year-old boyfriend had consumed five cans of Four Loko and a 12-pack of beer before the crash.
"In the days after deciding to reformulate our products, we took immediate action to cease the production, shipment and sale of the caffeinated versions of our products," said spokesman Jeff Wright of Phusion Projects. "We're proud of the way we've mobilized our network of distributors and retailers to remove the old versions of our product from store shelves, where necessary. Our company has a history of working with regulators and making concessions, such as adding multiple warning labels to our cans and selling versions of our products with reduced alcohol content where required."
In November, government regulators had warned four makers of the energy drinks that caffeine added to their malt alcoholic beverages is an "unsafe food additive." Some of the controversial beverages, which often come in large cans, contain the same amount of alcohol as four or five beers.
"We applaud members of the alcoholic beverage industry for their commitment to uphold public safety despite any financial loss stemming from the removal of all caffeinated malt beverages from the retail market," said TABC Assistant Chief Dexter Jones. "We appreciate their concern for the health, safety and welfare of the citizens of Texas."
Four Loko may be back, but not all such drinks are on shelves. A primary concern with the caffeine drinks is that their caffeine and other stimulants mask the sensory cues that alert people that they are intoxicated. As a result, they continue to drink after they're impaired, leading to such dangers as drunken driving, alcohol poisoning, risky sexual behavior and sexual assault.
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