60 milligrams of caffeine.
This is the amount of caffeine in Spylt, a caffeine and protein milk that is sold on Amazon and in thousands of grocery stores.
Whenever I go to pick up an energy boost, I always grab an espresso drink, soda or energy drink; milk has never been on my list. To me, it makes no sense to add caffeine to milk because the drink is mainly viewed for kids.
According to the Food and Drug Administration, too much caffeine consumption can lead to negative effects, such as increased heart rate, heart palpitations, high blood pressure, insomnia, anxiety, jitters, upset stomach, nausea and headaches. The FDA classifies 400 milligrams as too much caffeine.
As an educated, adult caffeine consumer, I make sure not to surpass this amount in a day and try to stay around 200 milligrams max. But most children and teenagers who consume caffeine do not even consider this risk or number.
This is why the advertisements behind these products, especially the items that unnecessarily add caffeine, are problematic. According to a report from Innova Market Insights, energy drinks try to appeal to people by marketing more than just energy. Often these caffeinated drinks are paired with brain support, performance enhancements, increased hydration and increasing beauty.
To a younger audience, these benefits sound particularly enticing. They did to me when I was younger. I first started drinking caffeine because I was going through a rough time mentally, starting to work out and feeling like I needed more energy. My first highly caffeinated drink was Charged Lemonade. It seemed appealing to me because it was able to provide the energy I felt I needed at the time.
Since my first introduction to caffeine, more and more products are including caffeine in items that don’t need it. Gatorade has introduced energy chews, Liquid Death and Arizona added energy drinks. I believe all of these products and more do not need to have caffeine in them.
More and more beverages include unnecessary caffeine, and their marketing methods are geared towards younger audiences. This highlights the problem our society is experiencing with high caffeine usage among kids.
A report by The OUTLIVE Lab found if products use colorful and eye-catching images, it attracts children. This is because it seems fun and emotionally appealing to them. Looking at Spylt’s Strawberry Milk, for example, the can is bright pink with smooth, curvy letters. This design falls in line with what is appealing to children, according to OUTLIVE.
In addition, most caffeinated products have warning labels or caffeine amounts included; however, they are usually placed out of the way or purposely made to be tiny, making it tougher for kids to see. For example, Ghost Energy places its warning label near the top of the can in a tiny box that can be easily missed.
According to a report from the Center of Disease Control, 30 to 50% of adolescents are reported to consume energy drinks. In my opinion, all of these marketing tactics are where this number comes from. The influx of younger users of caffeine is also why many products are beginning to add unnecessary amounts of the stimulant to their products. If younger audiences are buying more caffeine, adding unnecessary amounts is just another untapped way of making more money.
A summary from Grand View Research valued the energy drink industry at $79.39 billion and expects it to grow to $125.11 billion by 2030. There is a lot of money in this industry and a large number of young consumers to target. It makes sense that these multimillion-dollar companies are trying to take a slice of the pie. They just want to grow like every other company.
I am a consumer of energy drinks, especially Ghost Energy and Monster Energy, which both acknowledge the possible health effects; however, by putting caffeine into too many products, it increases the likelihood of people experiencing these consequences. As big-name companies begin to market more toward younger audiences, it increases their exposure to these effects.
Caffeine truly does help the world wake up every morning and is not the problem. The way it is being disguised and the reason why it is in everything is. Companies may see it as another revenue source, but not every source is the right move.
So, I encourage people to still drink caffeine but avoid drinks such as Spylt, Gatorade, Liquid Death, Arizona, Starbucks Refreshers and others with unnecessary caffeination. The only way these companies will listen is if we hit their wallets. Also, we can do our best to persuade younger generations away from these beverages and educate them about the potential health impacts caffeine may cause.
The way our stores and society end up depends on us. Caffeine should be giving us clarity, not corporate greed.
Drew Hoffmaster is a sophomore studying journalism at Ohio University. Please note the opinions expressed in this column do not represent those of The Post. Want to talk to Drew Hoffmaster about his column? Email them at dh384223@ohio.edu
