Case summary
Red Bull is an Australian based Energy Drink Company renowned for its investment in a diversified range of sporting activities. The Company’s slogan “Red Bull gives you wings” shows that the company has diverted from the traditional approach to mass marketing to create a brand worth and generate awareness. As per the given case, the main objective of the drink is the ability to fly away from all constraints of low energy and stress and maximize on body performance. Red Bull is shown to improve both the aerobic endurance and anaerobic performance ( Crooker, 2013) . Additionally, as per the case the energy drink also improves the mental performance and promotes memory and concentration thus increasing alertness level.
The case sums up that Energy drinks have been linked with increasing prevalence of health risks that include mortality rates due to intoxication when consumed with alcohol, Cardiac and psychiatric conditions following repeated consumption. The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) ruled that controlled uptake of the energy drink is safe since the level of caffeine in the standard Red Bull is unlikely to interact adversely with any other types of nutrients or constituents in energy drinks or alcohol.
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Argument in response to the Issue Presented
Some of the nutrients contained in Red Bull include Caffeine, Taurine, B vitamins, and simple sugars such as Sucrose and Glucose. To sustain the sugar free culture, Red Bull has replaced sucrose and glucose with other sweeteners such as the Acesulfame and Aspartame. One of the factors against use of energy drinks is the amount of sugar and calories in conjunction with caffeine, which is a stimulant that causes anxiety, stomach upsets, dehydration and increased heart rates. Although it has a high level of caffeine, Red Bull is well within the required guideline, which is a maximum of 400ml of Caffeine on a daily basis. Red Bull contains 80 milligrams in each of their 250ml cans.
One of the key ethical questions concerns whether Red Bull indeed minds customers’ welfare in giving clients wings to fly away from the situation of low energy levels or on the contrary, puts them at a higher risk of mortality and morbidity. Red Bull focuses on giving their customers more vitality by utilizing ingredients, which have the inherent capability of accelerating the heart rates and leverage on level of vigorous inclination. As discussed earlier, Red Bull minimizes on level of caffeine as an ingredient that reduces its adverse effects. Red bull should continue producing the energy drink but with required levels of caffeine.
Some of the strategies that can be effectuated to ensure that Red Bull continues to operate ethically entail ensuring that the firm increases adverse effects inflicted by continuous intake of the energy drinks. For example, consumption of energy drinks by adolescents often leads to dehydration, accelerated heart rates, seizures, acute mania and even strokes ( Rosenthal & Morin, 2016) . Continued production of the energy drink with high levels of caffeine should stop. This owes to the fact that energy drinks contain other energy supplements like Taurin, Guarana, panax, ginsens and riboflavin that have other adverse effects that are subject to research. Such nutrients in conjunction with caffeine have the potential to increase the acute and long-term effects resulting from long-term and excessive dependence on the energy drinks. Supplying high caffeine energy drinks to customers contravenes the ethics realm.
References
Crooker, S (2013). Energy drinks, do they really work? Case 8.6
Rosenthal, T. M., & Morin, D. P. (2016). A little Red Bull may give you wings, but it probably will not affect your Tpe. Anatolian journal of cardiology , 15 (11), 923.
