The Australian Beverages Council (ABCL) has spoken out following calls in the country for restrictions on energy drinks from the mother of a man who reportedly died from caffeine toxicity.
Michael Clarke, who was 35, died in January this year after suffering myocardial scarring – damage to his heart from a heart attack that he did not know had happened, ABC News reported. His mother, Shani Clarke, believes her son was drinking at least four cans of energy drink a day, as well as coffee. She has started a petition urging a ban on the sale of energy drinks to under-18s in Australia, more warnings on labels, and has set up a Facebook group called ‘Caffeine Toxicity Death Awareness’.
However, Geoff Parker, the ABCL’s CEO, said that, while Michael Clarke’s case was “clearly tragic” the Australian energy drinks market is “already the most regulated in the world and products across the category are clearly labelled with a 500ml daily usage maximum”.
He added: “We certainly do not encourage nor recommend over-consumption of energy drinks. By law, all energy drinks are clearly labelled with total caffeine amounts and maximum usage recommendations.”
In the US, the energy drinks market has faced similar issues after a number of deaths were associated with over-consumption of the products.
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