larryhead
08-01-2005, 08:43 PM
Experts Warn About Powdered Alcohol
Just as youth advocates hail the fact that sales of "alcopops," sweet drinks containing alcohol, are declining among kids, another product is raising concerns -- alcopops in powder form, which are growing in popularity.
They look harmless enough, the inconspicuous packets often next to the cashier at gas stations, convenience stores, beverage stores and bars. But according to consumer protection officials, that's what makes them all the more dangerous, since the powder inside contains alcohol, and a lot of it -- about 4.8 percent by volume. That is the equivalent of one to one-and-a-half glasses of liquor.
The product is called subyou, manufactured by a company in North Rhine-Westphalia, and is marketed squarely at teenagers with slogans like "taste for not much dough" and "gets a good buzz going." Add the powder to cold water, and consumers have an alcoholic drink containing either vodka or rum.
"These are just as dangerous as the alcopops that came in the bottles," Birgit Rehlender, nutrition expert at consumer affairs organization Stiftung Warentest told Der Spiegel weekly.
....
http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,1564,1596657,00.html
http://www.dw-world.de/dw/image/0,1587,1596658_6,00.jpg
Just as youth advocates hail the fact that sales of "alcopops," sweet drinks containing alcohol, are declining among kids, another product is raising concerns -- alcopops in powder form, which are growing in popularity.
They look harmless enough, the inconspicuous packets often next to the cashier at gas stations, convenience stores, beverage stores and bars. But according to consumer protection officials, that's what makes them all the more dangerous, since the powder inside contains alcohol, and a lot of it -- about 4.8 percent by volume. That is the equivalent of one to one-and-a-half glasses of liquor.
The product is called subyou, manufactured by a company in North Rhine-Westphalia, and is marketed squarely at teenagers with slogans like "taste for not much dough" and "gets a good buzz going." Add the powder to cold water, and consumers have an alcoholic drink containing either vodka or rum.
"These are just as dangerous as the alcopops that came in the bottles," Birgit Rehlender, nutrition expert at consumer affairs organization Stiftung Warentest told Der Spiegel weekly.
....
http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,1564,1596657,00.html
http://www.dw-world.de/dw/image/0,1587,1596658_6,00.jpg