Dept imposes restriction on two energy drinks

KATHMANDU, JUNE 03:

The government has imposed a sale and distribution restriction on two energy drinks — Red Star and Rhino-S — as the drinks have been imported illegally.

The Department of Food Technology and Quality Control has imposed the ban as the energy drinks were imported without taking permission. “We raided the importer’s warehouses and the importer could not show us an import permit,” said spokesperson at the department Promod Koirala.

According to the Food Act, importers have to obtain a permit from the department before importing any energy drink. The provision was enforced two years back as energy drinks have become popular among Nepalis.

“The banned brands did not have labels,” he said, adding that according to the consumer protection law, each product must have a label with the date of manufacture, expiry date and maximum price in Nepali or English. Red Star and Rhino-S also did not have anything mentioned about their composition, he added.

According to Koirala, the department has asked the importer to recall all the drinks in the market as soon as possible. “We will publish a formal notice tomorrow,” he said.

Energy drinks generally use caffeine and artificial sweeteners like sucralose and saccharine that can be harmful to health.

High use of caffeine, sucralose and saccharine cause heart problems in the long run. Similarly, they are also bad for the kidney, liver and for people suffering from diabetes.

However, the government has not set any standard for energy drinks to protect people from possible harm. The department had drafted a standard manual two years back but the government has not passed it because the Central Lab does not have facility to test energy drinks.

Market for energy drinks has increased significantly in Nepal since 2007. ‘Red Bull’ is the most preferred brand in the country but there are two dozen other brands including Red Eagle, Wild Buffalo and Sting, which are widely consumed in urban areas of the country.

Government data reveals that the import of energy drinks has increased by 65.70 per cent in the last one year. According to the Ministry of Commerce and Supplies, energy drinks worth Rs 760 million have been imported in the first 10 months of the current fiscal year.

The import value stood at around Rs 460 million for the same period last year.

Energy drinks produced in Thailand, Vietnam, India and Singapore are imported to Nepal.

Source: THT