Logan Paul’s PRIME Energy Drink Targeted by FDA Investigation Under US Senator’s Request

PRIME, an energy drink that was launched in January 2022, was created by social media influencers Logan Paul and Olajide “KSI” Olatunji, who is from the United Kingdom. They have millions of followers and subscribers on YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok; thus, their collective influence on people is really overwhelming.

The PRIME Energy Drink that they are promoting contains really high percentage of caffeine, and this is what pushed the U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer to make an investigation request from the country’s Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The official said the energy drink has twice the caffeine content of a Red Bull, and the product is being sold to children.

As per Reuters, Schumer is calling on the FDA to investigate the PRIME beverage brand, which has instantly become a favorite among youngsters in the U.S. He wants the health regulators to check the product due to its very high caffeine.

The PRIME drink was a follow-up to Logan and KSI’s first drink variation called Hydration. It is a sports drink that is similar to Gatorade and uses coconut water and electrolytes to make it. It has no sugar or caffeine, but the new product with fruity and candy flavors has these ingredients.

"Buyers and parents beware because it’s a serious health concern for the kids it so feverishly targets," the senator said in a recent press conference that was held in New York City. "This is an eye-popping level of caffeine for a young kid's body. Because the product is billed as a hydration and sports drink in its other, near identical form, kids are likely to ingest cans of this stuff with the parents being unaware.”

A 12-ounce can of the said energy drink has 200 milligrams of caffeine, and this amount is equivalent to six cans of Coca-Cola or almost two bottles of Red Bulls. Although it was indicated on the website that PRIME Energy is not recommended for kids under the age of 18, pregnant or nursing women, or caffeine-sensitive people, young people are still having the drink.

Moreover, Senator Schumer pointed out that PRIME has a non-caffeinated drink, but it can be easily confused with the caffeinated version as they have very similar packaging. He said parents can easily pick the wrong drink for their children due to the confusing packaging.

CBS News reported that the PRIME brand has become very popular among teens and pre-teens regardless of the indication on the label about consumption restrictions. The FDA is being asked to look into the product because over-consumption of caffeine may cause insomnia, increased heart rate, jitters, nausea, upset stomach, anxiousness, feeling of unhappiness, and headache.

Photo by: Erik Drost/Flickr(CC BY 2.0)