Caffeinated alcoholic drink sales end today

ANKENY - State officials say retailers and wholesalers in Iowa have until today to stop selling or distributing prepackaged alcoholic beverages that contain added caffeine, or they'll face fines and other sanctions.

Tonya Dusold of the Iowa Alcoholic Beverages Division said today marks the end of a 15-day warning period issued by the federal Food and Drug Administration for the removal of alcoholic energy drinks, such as Four Loko, Joose or other products sold in Iowa.

The federal agency determined the alcoholic energy drinks are 'adulterated' under the federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act. The concern was that the prepackaged products were in large servings of up to 24 ounces that contained the equivalent of 4.5 to seven shots of alcohol, Dusold said.

Manufacturers had 15 days to bring products into compliance or withdraw them from distribution, she said.

Dusold said her agency concurred with the federal Tax and Trade Bureau's position of prohibiting the distribution of any beverage that contains a food additive that is not generally recognized as safe. The Alcoholic Beverages Division will investigate as needed if any of the affected products are sold after the deadline, she said.

Any wholesaler or retailer that distributes or sells the affected products after today will be subject to enforcement action, Dusold said. Infractions could result in revocation or suspension of a stateissued license or a civil penalty of up to $1,000 per violation.