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There are over 500 products marketed for their energy-boosting properties, but when a news study on caffeinated beverages comes out, it affects the perception of all of them. With Mintel’s new study on energy drink consumers and their safety concerns, it’s critical to understand three main points.
ONE: Only 59% of respondents reported being concerned about security
That is barely most. I would honestly expect that number to be a bit higher, but it depends on how the question was asked. For example: “Are you concerned about the safety of energy drinks?” is a very open question; someone who limits their consumption of these products to 1x/month and someone who drinks them every day but is careful to limit the number of servings might answer “yes.” A question such as “How concerned are you on a scale of 1 (not concerned) to 10 (extremely concerned)” would provide useful insight into the weight of these security concerns in consumers’ minds. However, this report only surveyed those who consume energy drinks and shots, so it is not clear how many people would like drink these products but whose for security cuestions.
TWO – The definition of “energy drink” in this survey limits the implication of the results.
Red Bull, Monster and Rockstar have dominated the energy drink/supplement market for the last 6 years. However, alternatives like V8 V-Fusion + Energy, Starbucks Refreshers, and Mountain Dew Kick Start complicate the boundaries of this product category. Mountain DewKick Start contains 92 milligrams of caffeine per can – this is more than a can of Red Bull – but PepsiCo doesn’t market this as an energy drink, so it’s unclear how products like these are represented in the survey, or in the minds of the average consumer.
THREE: It is unclear how these safety issues will affect the energy drink/supplement market.
If nearly 6 in 10 energy drink consumers are concerned about safety, will green tea-based caffeinated products like Rize, V8 V-Fusion + Energy, or Nawgan ever catch up with or surpass the Big Three? If safety concerns are based on caffeine content, will consumers start looking for more moderately dosed products? (Unlikely). If ingredients that normally draw criticism, such as taurine and guarana, are raising safety concerns, will products without those ingredients grow in favor?
Conclusions and resources for caffeine consumers
What many caffeine consumers may not realize is that there are resources available to ease your concerns. Caffeine Informer is one such valuable resource. The Caffeine Informer website addresses safe limits of caffeine based on consumer age and demographics, caffeine addiction, the positive and negative effects of scientific studies, and a review of common energy drink ingredients. The most useful tool is the Caffeine Database. Listing the caffeine content for every caffeinated product imaginable, from gum to beverages to food, this tool is essential for anyone trying to control their caffeine intake.
For those 6 in 10 safety-conscious consumers, the solution is to increase awareness of these essential resources so that all energy seekers can safely consume caffeine.