- Traces of cocaine found in Red Bull Cola
- Six German states pull product off shelves
- Levels do not pose serious health risk
RED Bull Cola may be banned in Germany after traces of cocaine were found in samples of the drink.
Six German states have ordered retailers to stop selling the beverage and more are expected to follow this week.
Samples of the popular drink examined by the German food authorities were found to contain 0.4 micrograms of cocaine per litre. They were said the have been caused by the method of processing a cocoa leaf.
'The institute examined Red Bull Cola in an elaborate chemical process and found traces of cocaine,' Bernhard Kuehnle, head of the food safety department at the German federal ministry for consumer protection said.
Germany's Federal Institute for Risk Assessment said the cocaine level was too low to pose a health risk. It planned to produce a more detailed report tomorrow.
A spokesperson for Red Bull Australia said: "Germany authorities have raised concerns regarding Red Bull Cola due to the use of a decocainised coca leaf extract in the product. We are in contact with the authorities to clarify the issue.
"Decocainised Coca leaf extracts are used as flavouring in foodstuffs around the world and are considered as safe (eg FDA Gras Status, Council of Europe). Red Bull Cola and other foodstuff containing such extracts may therefore be sold legally.
"Recent product analysis has confirmed that the leaf extract use in Red Bull Simply Cola is safe."
New Zealand woman fighting Red Bull addiction
Meanwhile in New Zealand, a 23-year-old mother who lost 45kg in eight months by drinking nothing but Red Bull says she has ongoing health problems because of the diet.
Brooke Robertson shrank from 105kg to 60kg drinking nothing but 10 to 14 cans a day.
"I just started drinking it. I wasn't sleeping, I wasn't eating - I was exhausted,'' she told the Herald on Sunday.
"I just continued to drink it because it's an appetite suppressant and I noticed I was losing weight so stuck with it.''
Following a minor heart attack, Ms Robertson was admitted to hospital where she was weaned off Red Bull.
"I managed to wean myself off it by being in hospital for that long but I had severe withdrawals - sweating, nausea, shaking. It was an addiction. The doctors stated that.''
She said she has a heart murmur, gets severe pain and cramping in her stomach and bowel, and suffers anxiety attacks.
A Red Bull spokesman said there was “scientific evidence that caffeine is not addictive”.
Red Bull is available in 148 countries. It is banned in Norway, Denmark and Uruguay and now Germany because of health fears.
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