Red Bull & other energy drinks

[tails4wagging]

Don't drink it myself, but apparantly they fund research into animal experiments.

[VeganMum]

Nor me and Im glad I don't now

[Aurora]

The college I work at used to have this revolting stuff in the drinks machines. Unfortunately the students who drank it ended the day practically climbing the walls. The behaviour is bad enough without the kids drinking this muck!

[Tofu Monster]

Don't drink it myself, but apparantly they fund research into animal experiments.

how do you know, tails?

[Stu]

My thoughts precisely. Can we have your source, Tails?

[Artichoke47]

Red Bull has taurine in it. I wonder if it's animal-derived. I wouldn't drink that stuff even if they didn't test on animals; I don't think it's vegan or vegetarian.

[tails4wagging]

No good at cross-posting but my friend sent me a copy of an email which was from the german 'doctors against animal experiments'. They removed baby rats from their mums and submerged them in water for 20 mins, to see what brain damage was done to them. They even ripped babies from the mother rats bodies to do this experiment.

These experiments were done at a childrens hospital in Austria. This is/was sponsored by Red Bull.

[Gorilla]

apparently the taurine in Red Bull is not animal-derived (according to another vegan board) but it's nasty stuff and best avoided anyway, and now this.

[RockyRaccoon]

I can't understand why anybody would want to drink that stuff, it's revolting. I tried it once with vodka, apparantly a popular combination. I just thought, what a way to ruin a perfectly good glass of vodka!

[Wishin986]

I know that most energy drinks contain taurine. However, I was just looking up somethings about taurine on the internet and it came up that the taurine in Red Bull isn't from animal origin. Is that true?

Also are there other energy drinks that do not contain taurine from animal origin? What about kabbalah energy drink?

[Mr Flibble]

Red bull in the UK is (at least was last time i checked) vegan. The taurine is synthetic. Beware of course that in the US they may use a different source.

[Risker]

Red Bull Energy Drink is suitable for vegetarians. Red Bull Energy Drink does not contain any animal products or substances derived from animals.

The composition and the ingredients of Red Bull Energy Drink are the same all over the world, except for slight variations in the vitamin content due to national regulations.

Both quotes from the FAQ on http://www.redbullusa.com/

[Tray]

red bull it's vegan but it sucks anyway

[speedylemons]

i agree. red bull sucks!

The only energy drink i kind of liked and drank seldomly before going vegan was that Mt Dew AMP energy drink. But since going vegan i read online that taurine comes from the bile of bulls or something and whether or not it's animal derived in the us i'm going to steer clear of all those preservatives and weird ingredients.

[snaffler]

Purdys is pretty good at perking up the mind body and soul...far better than Red Death

[Mr Flibble]

I had my first can in years on friday night due to no other source of caffeine at a service station (no coffee in the entire place!!). It was late, I was really tired and still had 2 hours of motorway driving to do. It had the same disgusting taste I remember, but in it's defense it did do the trick. Certainly not something I want to make a habit of thou

[Prophet]

Also are there other energy drinks that do not contain taurine from animal origin? What about kabbalah energy drink?

Nobody answered his/her question about the kabbalah drink, and I am also curious. Has anybody looked into this?

[AborneSborn]

I thought it might be a good idea to warn everyone, since this fact seems to be known by very few. Energy drinks and energy bars that contain TAURINE are not vegan. This includes Sparx, which I don't believe has a list of ingredients on it, but does contain Taurine as well. For those who are curious the taurine in energy drinks probably comes from the dead tissue of sea creatures. Although I was once lead to believe that it came from bull's adrenal gland. I don't know any vegans who drink energy drinks anyway. But for those of you who do, try this drink called guru. I dont know if a lot of stores carry it, but it's energy sources are all natural and plant based. They might have a website you could check out, I practically need a guru every day just to get by.

The one thing that really pisses me off is how unnecessary it is to put taurine in every god damn energy drink. Even the energy drinks that blue sky makes has taurine.

[Tigerlily]

Actually, I believe most energy drinks use synthetic taurine. On Red Bull's website they state this and say their beverage is suitable for veg*ns. I'm sure it's similar for other energy drinks. Real taurine would be too expensive to use.

[Bic]

I've never heard of an energy drink using real taurine. As Tigerlily stated, it'd be too expensive. At 2 bucks a pop, they can't afford to hike up their prices any more just to put dead sea creatures in it.
I used to drink Red Bull regularly. At least a can a day. I have since quit all forms of caffeine, but I don't believe there is anything wrong with Red Bull. Mixing it with vodka, though (someone mentioned it above) can be deadly due to the high concentrations of alcohol and caffeine and should be avoided.

I'd like to see an actual copy of the e-mail. I have trouble seeing what interest Red Bull would have in torturing rats when their product is already verified as safe and, for that matter, has nothing to do with brain damage due to oxygen deprivation.

[Gorilla]

I'd like to see an actual copy of the e-mail. I have trouble seeing what interest Red Bull would have in torturing rats when their product is already verified as safe and, for that matter, has nothing to do with brain damage due to oxygen deprivation.

i haven't seen any proof of the animal testing myself, but there was that story about fruit juice companies testing their products on animals to try and "prove" some stupid health claims, so i wouldn't put it past any such company to fund pointless vivisection to be honest.

i don't drink Red Bull anyway because it's horrible and the one time i drank it with vodka i went a bit crazy

[Purple]

I had 5 cans in one night and nearly fainted was shaking all night.

I find beer is making me very sleepy when I'm out, but I do want to kick my redbull habit.

Anyone else get a headache when they drink lager/beer?

[Marrers]

Caffiene seems to have no effect on me at all - not in coffee or these drinks.

[Risker]

There seems to be a lot of myths surrounding redbull, I suppose it comes with the territory for a successful company. I for one used to enjoy a vodka redbull and I liked the taste, the only reason I stopped drinking it was because it's very expensive and as I've got older I no longer aim to get as drunk as I can as quickly as I can.

The one energy drink I didn't like was one made by the RAC and it was called... RAC. After drinking it I spent the whole night feeling terribly sick and shaking, I checked the ingredients and it had 6 times as much caffeine in it as red bull so I assume that was why. I never saw that drink in the shops again so I suspect they pulled it.

[Orange-powered]

I can't stand red bull its awful bleugh

[AborneSborn]

So I was mistaken huh? What I have read about taurine lead me to believe that it was only synthetically made for special circumstances, ie for cats.

Case closed, what is this about animal research though? I know POM conducts and supports cruel animal research but Ive heard nothing about energy drinks

[Bic]

Case closed, what is this about animal research though? I know POM conducts and supports cruel animal research but Ive heard nothing about energy drinks

POM has stopped that (or vowed to stop that) due to pressure from animal rights groups. Or rather, one group that pulled a big (and somewhat frightening) stunt. It's one the board here somewhere (I'll look for it and edit this post if I find it).
EDIT: POM to stop animal testing

[Mr Flibble]

I had 5 cans in one night and nearly fainted was shaking all night.

I used to give up drinking alcohol during exam period at uni. Once I went out with friends on a saturday night and decided to drink red bull instead. After at least 8 cans instead of having a hang over that lasted the following day it completely f*ed my sleep pattern for over a week

[briansastre]

This is an email I got back from Rockstar just in case anyone wants to know.


Rockstar is 100% vegan
Thanks


Check out our awesome merchandise and products at www.rockstar69.com! Rock on!

Rebecca Yops
Director of Communications
Rockstar Energy Drink
www.rockstar69.com


From: brian sastre
Sent: Saturday, August 25, 2007 2:42 PM
To: ROCKSTAR ENERGY DRINK
Subject: Animal products in your product


Rockstar,



I wanted to know how you derive the amounts of taurine and Vitamin B12 in your Rockstar Energy Drink products. Do you synthetically derive these chemicals or do you derive them from animal sources? I would like this information on the behalf of vegans and vegetarians in the world.



A concerned vegan

[Hemlock]

Red Bull - bleurrggghhhhh! The smell alone makes me want to shrivel up and die.

[herbwormwood]

I like Red Bull and drink it occasionally, I like to drink a can on long car journeys.
It contains a large amount of vitamin B12.
I have checked it is vegan.
From the Red Bull website

"Red Bull® Energy Drink is suitable for vegetarians. Red Bull® Energy Drink does not contain any animal products or substances derived from animals."

Here is a website about taurine
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taurine

I have noticed Lidl do a Red Bull copy at less than half the price called "Stimulation Drink" I wonder if this is also vegan. it seems to have the same ingredients list as Red Bull.
I checked on the net and it has a wikipedia entry
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emerge_Stimulation_Drink

Obviously Red Bull are making a play on the latin for Bull, Taurus.

[Frosty]

I rather like the stuff if I'm starting to sledge on a long night - whack a few vodkas in there with it and I'm up again. I know it's not good for you, and really should be avoided, but I don't have it all that often, and can provide the lift I sometimes need to get me through a large sess.

[Cristy87]

Okay, I'm an art Studio major. Red Bull funds this contest called 'Art of the Cans' in which they hand out free twenty-four packs of the stuff to artists so that they can make sculptures out of the cans .... and my university is participating in it. Does anyone have definitive proof that Red Bull funds animal testing? Or any information on what tests they funded? If so, I could make a protest sculpture or something along those lines ...

I'll be doing my own research as well, but if you find anything, let me know!

[RubyDuby]

ooh, what a good idea! wish i could help

[herbwormwood]

Why don't you contact some of the anti vivisection organisations? They generally have authoritative lists on who tests on animals and who doesn't.

[Frosty]

I copied this from vegsoc.com.au forum, if it helps....

Hey i done some searching and came up with this. Turns out redbulls Taurine is fully synthetic and vegan, but a chemical in DIET redbull is tested on animals but it is found in virtually all suger free soft drinks and not directly related or funded by redbull. Anyway check these pages out, unless ya got any different info to me? then drinking normal rebull sounds ok (as ok as anything in the corperate food world anyway).

http://www.wikiveg.org/Taurine

http://www.redbull.com/#page=ProductPage.FAQS

[Corum]

well... I actually quite like the stuff. though, I tend to drink it when - as most people on here that do - I've got a long way to drive at night. I went through a phase when I was a company director and the board meetings were in Rugby, 150 miles away, I'd buy four cans, end up drinking one on the way, one at the meeting and one or two on the way back (at about 1am). It was either that or four large cups of coffee with me having to stop to go to the toilet constantly.

[marthur.]

Hey,
I know that, the last reply to this was like, two years ago or something;
But i'm just wondering if Red Bull still fund into animal testing, and if any has any recent information on that?
Just, the only information i can find on it, is from 2005 and 2006.

Thanks,
x :]

[puca]

Oh shit, I drank 2 cans today because I felt tired and down

[Panzer]

Ive drank it before but the crash down from it isnt worth the energy it gives, at least to me.

[missbettie]

i lurves energy drinks, but i think they are kind of addicting...and I think cafeine is starting to mess up my stomach, which really sucks considering i'm so busy and almost need it at this point.

[sparklingsights]

But i'm just wondering if Red Bull still fund into animal testing, and if any has any recent information on that?]

Wow, that's crazy. I remember hearing not to long ago that POM was doing animal testing.. I mean, it's juice, what the hell? It never ceases to amaze me how many companies engage in this. Ugh.

Anyway, I tried to find some info for you but you're right, it's all rather out-dated. The only things I could find online were likely the same things you did... this link from 2006 and some other forum posts from various times that don't have any proof, one way or the other.

Contact them. They probably won't answer or if they do, they'll probably lie. Hell, they're allegedly "proud" of supporting animal testing so who knows, they might outright tell you if they still do.

Let us know if you find anything out!

(Oh, also, cocaine in Red Bull earlier this year... kind of hilarious.)

[sparklingsights]

No update in terms of animal test funding but according to Peta's Accidentally Vegan list, the drink itself is vegan.

[Tallulah]

I don't drink it because of the high sugar, caffeine, and preservatives!

http://www.snopes.com/medical/potables/redbull.asp

[sparklingsights]

^ Plus it's gross.

[Tallulah]

Most definitely

[Daffodil]

Purdys is pretty good at perking up the mind body and soul...far better than Red Death

I'd prefer a healthy diet, plenty of exercise and a good nights sleep!

[Runaway]

hey there,
red bull does still fund animal testing - i sent them an email a few months ago to ask them if they did still fund this cruelty, and to tell them that if this was true, i would never buy another red bull again. i didn't expect the reaction they sent me (companies usually seem to realise what they are doing is bad) they responded saying they do indeed still fund animal research, and didn't sound anywhere near apologetic about doing so.
so... boycot in full effect.
for those of you that DO like energy drinks (i am one of the few), rockstar should be boycotted because they're homophobic assholes - so my new favourite is monster energy drink. delicious! haha.

[Runaway]

by the way - it's red bull europe that i contacted. i think the research centre they support is in austria. maybe the usa red bull will give you a different answer - but it's still a bad company.

[missbettie]

why are rockstars homophobic assholes?