Prime Hydration sued over caffeine content in energy drinks
Logan Paul's sports drink company, Prime, is being sued for allegedly deceiving consumers about the ingredients in its energy drink.
A New York woman is claiming that Prime Hydration LLC, distributed by Congo Brands, is using "deceptive, and misleading advertising" regarding the caffeine content of its 12-ounce energy drinks.
The bottles advertise that there are 200 milligrams of caffeine per container. But "based upon testing commissioned by plaintiff’s attorneys, the products actually contain between 215-225 milligrams of caffeine," according to the class action suit, filed in the Southern District of New York in early April.
FOX Business reached out to Congo Brands for comment.
The suit noted that the company's marketing campaign had already come under fire "for targeting children and adolescents despite their high concentration of caffeine."
Federal health officials have said that caffeine can be part of a healthy diet for most adults, but too much can pose a danger to a person's health.
Healthy adults can drink about 400 milligrams of caffeine a day — or four to five cups of coffee — without "dangerous, negative effects," according to the Federal Drug Administration (FDA).
The FDA does not have a set level for children, "but the American Academy of Pediatrics discourages the consumption of caffeine and other stimulants by children and adolescents," it said.
The lawsuit was filed less than a year after a woman in California accused the company of putting harmful chemicals — otherwise known as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances ("PFAS") — in its drink products.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), PFAS are a group of chemicals used to make fluoropolymer coatings and products that resist heat, oil, stains, grease and water.
Paul, who co-founded the company in 2022 with social media influencer KSI, addressed claims that the drinks contain forever chemicals.
"First off, anyone can sue anyone at any time, that does not make the lawsuit true," Paul said in a TikTok video on Wednesday. "And in this case, it is not… one person conducted a random study and has provided zero evidence to substantiate any of their claims."
Paul also issued a "correction" during an appearance on "Varney & Co." in August regarding the "false narrative" that Prime is under investigation by federal health officials.
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"Every ingredient in our products is FDA approved. And if they want to reach out and ask any questions, we're more than happy to answer them because we've retained samples from every single batch of prime that's ever come off the line," he said. "But the fact is, we're a legitimate business. We have nothing to hide, and we take quality and safety very seriously. But I came on here to correct some misconstrued information."
Paul also addressed the criticism that it was hard for kids to distinguish the difference between the caffeinated and non-caffeinated versions.
"One is in a can and says ‘energy drink’ on it. The other is in a bottle. It says ‘hydration drink’ on it. One is 18+, the other is suitable for all ages. And we believe we've done as good of a job as we possibly can, differentiating our products," Paul explained.