Monster Energy drinks recalled over anti-freeze ingredient fears

FOUR types of Monster Energy drinks were ordered to be removed from shops yesterday after high levels of an anti-freeze ingredient were detected.

The soft drinks popular with young people contained too much propylene glycol, a food additive that is used in paint and plastics and can reportedly cause organs to fail, it was claimed.

But a food safety watchdog said the amount of the ingredient found was ‘unlikely to pose a risk to consumers’.

Monster Energy is withdrawing all batches of four of its 250ml cans drinks: Ripper Juiced Monster Energy, Lewis Hamilton Monster Energy, Espresso Monster Vanilla Triple Shot and Espresso Monster Salted Triple Shot.

The Dutch-based company alerted the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI) over the drinks containing too much propylene glycol.

In normal use, the ingredient absorbs extra water and maintains moisture in some processed foods and medicines.

But too much propylene glycol can cause heart attacks, kidney and liver failure, brain problems and allergic reactions, it has been claimed.

The FSAI said the alarm was raised after ‘elevated levels’ of propylene glycol were found in the Monster Energy drinks in Belgium.

A spokesman for the FSAI said: ‘We were advised by the company and through the EU system as the Belgians found the elevated levels.

‘It’s a good system, Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed, which goes across all EU member states.’

The spokesman added: ‘It [propylene glycol] is a food additive, it’s allowed in it, but the levels found were higher than what’s permitted. What was in it is unlikely to pose a risk to consumers but it was still over the limit and that’s why we had to do the withdrawal.’

Consumers’ Association of Ireland chief Dermott Jewell said: ‘It must be frustrating for the company but it’s good to see they reacted quickly and positively to stop the items.’