MILWAUKEE — MillerCoors LLC announced Thursday it will remove caffeine and three other ingredients from its Sparks alcoholic energy drink in a deal with 13 states and the city of San Francisco, where officials had contended the drink targeted young drinkers.
A coalition of state attorneys general had complained that the stimulants reduced drinkers’ sense of intoxication and were marketed to young drinkers, who were already more likely to have risky behaviors in driving and other activities.
Attorneys general and advocacy groups have long been targeting Mil lerCoors, a joint venture of SABMil ler’s U.S. unit and Molson Coors Brewing Co., and market leader Anheuser- Busch over the making and marketing of such drinks.
As part of the agreement, Miller Coors agreed to remove caffeine, taurine, guarana and ginseng from Sparks, the leader in the alcoholic energy-drink category, and not produce caffeinated alcohol beverages in the future. The company also will pay $550,000 to cover the cost of the investigation into Sparks. The agreement does not mean the company was found to have engaged in unlawful behavior.
“They are fundamentally dangerous and put drinkers of all ages at risk,” New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo said in a statement, referring to the drinks.
The MillerCoors settlement also includes the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Connecticut, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Mississippi, New Mexico, Ohio and Oklahoma and the city attorney of San Francisco.
The money will be split among the states and San Francisco, MillerCoors spokesman Julian Green said.
