Red Bull drink banned in France

Health Concerns over the Red Bull Energy Drink were fuelled yesterday after Europe's highest court upheld a French ban of the product. The Fizzy drink has been linked to several deaths and some experts have criticized its high levels of caffeine and other stimulants.

Red bull is Britain's best-selling energy drink, with 213 million cans consumed in 2010. It has been dubbed the 'clubbers' drink, and it is often mixed with vodka. The popular adverts claiming the Red Bull 'gives you wings' have led to the brand being described as 'the Porsche of soft drinks.

It contains caffeine, vitamins and sugar which the company claims, kick-stars the body's metabolism and keeps people alert. But France has refused to authorize its sale, along with other vitamin-fortified foods such as Danone yoghurt and Kellogg's cereals. The European Commission (EC) challenged France's ban after manufacturers complained it was inhibiting imports.

In a ruling yesterday, the European Court of Justice upheld the main part of the EC challenge, ordering France to lift the ban unless it could prove the health risks. But the court said that the French government did have a right to ban red bull. The judges said that a study by the French Scientific Committee on Human Nutrition found that red Bull contained excessive caffeine.

The committee also raised concerns about the drink's other ingredients – taurin, an amino acid the company claims can 'kick-start' the metabolism – and glucuronolactone, a carbohydrate. The EC's scientific committee on Food conducted a study last year and found that while caffeine levels in energy drinks were safe, more studies were needed to assess the dangers of taurine and glucuronolactone.

While other toxicology experts had concluded that the caffeine levels in Red Bull are safe, France had a right to ban the drink on the advise of its own experts, the court said.