HOME / NEWS / HUMAN INTEREST

Who owns Four Loko? Controversial energy drink trends online as it makes the list of fastest-growing brands

The drink was banned by the FDA in 2010 because it contained caffeine in its alcoholic beverages, but it was later brought back after reformulation

ILLINOIS, CHICAGO: Four Loko is trending online as it made it to one of the fastest-growing brands of 2022, as per the recent report by Morning Consult. The beverage fans praise their favorite drink though it was banned in 2010 by the FDA. 

The beverage was introduced in the US market in 2005. The company faced backlash from the US Food and Drug Administration on November 17, 2010, for the caffeine content in the drinks. The key reason behind for its ban was the caffeine added to their malt alcoholic beverages, which were unsafe food additives. The letter issued by the authority also claimed that it was a public health concern and could not stay on the market in its current form. 

READ MORE

Man DIES after drinking entire bottle of Jagermeister in two minutes for extreme drinking competition

Bartender reveals the one drink you should order at a bar to signal you're in DANGER

Who are the owners of Four Loko?

Four Loko as a brand evolved from the Phusion projects and was founded by Jeff Wright, Jaisen Freeman, and Chris Hunter. According to Phusionprojects.com, the current co-founders and CEOs of Phusion Projects are Jeff and Jaisen. However, Chris Hunter currently owns another beverage company called Koia. Though the drink was banned in November 2010, the drink was reformulated and got back to the market in December 2010. However, the ingredients, including caffeine, guarana, and taurine from the original drink, had been replaced by the food coloring agent Red 40.

Meanwhile, in 2009, Four Loko also faced backlash for allegedly targeting youth to consume the drink. There were instances in various parts of the country that witnessed alleged overconsumption of the drinks. According to NPR, a report suggested the overuse of alcohol by college students. In 2010, 11 cases of young people were noted at Bellevue Hospital Center who reportedly wound up after drinking Four Loko. The median age of these teens was 16.4. It also allegedly faced bans across some of the major campuses, including The University of Rhode Island. On November 1, 2010, the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board sent letters to all liquor stores urging distributors to allegedly discontinue the sale of the drink. However, many of the shops, including ShopRite Super Markets, Tops Markets, Price Chopper, and Wegmans, voluntarily pulled the product from their shelves.

'If you don’t bring 2009 recipe back I don’t want it!'

The Internet quickly reacted to Four Loko being the 20th fastest-growing brand in America. A user said, "You guys could be number 1 if you sponsor me." Another said, "bruh, you're acting like you added the caffeine back." A tweet read, "If you don’t bring 2009 recipe back I don’t want it!." A user wrote, "Saw Four Loko trending and got remind of my past. Four Loko had us youngins dropping like flies." A user added, "Four Loko is trending and I don't think the kids will ever understand how that s**t used to be jet fuel in a can." 

A tweet stated, "Saw Four Loko trending and thought it was making a comeback." "I see Four Loko trending and I'm like "uhh ohh what happened now?" and I see this insane ranking, 20th fastest growing brand in the US in 2022," stated a user. A user claimed, "was told there would be four loko and there isn’t." A fan stated, "It’s beginning to look a lot like a four loko weekend." A tweet explained, "I take great pride in the fact that I was born early enough to experience the Four Loko."

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.