A small business owner has bragged about selling an energy drink despite it being banned across Australia for having almost double the legal limit of caffeine.
The convenience store operator in Perth bought $5,000-worth of the popular Prime Energy and Prime Hydration drinks from Sydney amid fierce demand in Western Australia.
The colourful beverages have been in extremely short supply due to their viral popularity, while the hydrated sports drink version is being banned in many schools across Australia after it was deemed not suitable for under 15s.
The energy drinks have become a global phenomenon since internet stars Logan Paul and KSI launched the products last year.
The Prime Energy drink has a whopping 200mg of caffeine in every 335ml can.
The unnamed Perth store owner took to social media (pictured) claiming he continues to take ‘100 calls a day’ for both Prime products
The non-caffeinated Prime Hydration drink (pictured) has been flying off the Woolworths shelves across the country
The colourful beverages (pictured) have been in short supply due to their viral popularity but have now been banned in many schools across Australia
The non-caffeinated version of the drink has been stripped from Woolworths shelves whenever it has appeared (pictured young boys at a Perth Woolworths)
The energy drinks have become a global phenomenon since internet stars Logan Paul and KSI (pictured) launched the products last year
It is banned by the Food Standards Australia New Zealand [FSANZ] as the maximum amount of caffeine allowed in a drink is 32mg per 100ml in Australia.
A Prime Energy can contains almost double that figure at 56mg per 100ml.
It comes in a range of flavours and was described as tasting like ‘perfume’ by celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay.
The unnamed Perth store owner took to social media claiming he continues to take ‘100 calls a day’ for both Prime products, the West Australian reported.
‘I’m the only shop in Perth that sells it [Prime energy], I like to always do something different from my competitors,’ he said on social media.
‘I’m selling [non-caffeinated] Prime Hydration for $15 and Prime Energy for $19.95.’
He added It was one of the best business decisions he has ever made.
The man claimed he has not sold the Prime Energy drinks to children, with the label on the can stating it can not be sold to under 18s.
The Prime Hydration drink also is considered unsuitable for sale to under 15s.
But it hasn’t stopped the skyrocketing popularity of the beverage among school kids. where the non-caffeinated drink has been stripped from Woolworths shelves whenever it has appeared.
Footage from a social media post showed crowds of young boys bursting into one supermarket in a mad dash to the drink aisles.
One Perth fan Joshua Woods, 19, was waiting for one store to open at the Karrinyup Shopping Centre in Perth last Sunday, news.com.au said.
‘I was there an hour early … when the centre doors opened you could hear the rush of kids flow through the centre,’ he said.
‘Once doors opened kids pushed and crawled to get under the doors before charging through the store, staff looked helpless and watched on as the store got flooded within seconds.’
Meanwhile, there are claims the drink – which can also be purchased online – has caused after-school brawls, Perth Now reported.
A fight allegedly broke out at the Dalyellup skate park south of Perth among students from a nearby school on Tuesday.
The kids were fighting over the drinks before adults were forced to step in – but the fracas only escalated.
Police said officers were not called to the scene but it was reported on social media.
Many principals at schools around Australia have now barred the Prime Hydration drink on their grounds.
Harvey Primary School 140km south of Perth told parents the drink was banned from school grounds on Monday via its social media.
‘We are aware that some shops have begun to stock Prime Hydration Drinks,’ its post said.
‘Prime is made by popular YouTubers Logan Paul and KSI. Prime Hydration bottles carry the label ‘Not suitable for children under 15 years of age.
‘Students are not to bring these drinks to school or consume these drinks on school grounds during school hours.’
Miami State School on the Gold Coast sent a note to parents on Monday after spotting some of their students with the beverages.
Some Queensland schools already have a blanket ban on energy drinks.
Maryborough State High School in Queensland recently reminded parents of the ban calling it a ‘potentially dangerous new trend’.
‘The policy that’s in place at Maryborough State High School as well as a number of other schools is that your energy drinks and sports drinks just aren’t permitted,’ Principal Simon Done told ABC.
Sports dietician from Griffith University Professor Ben Desbrow commended the schools for preventing children being hooked on the ‘addictive substance’.
He said the highly caffeinated drinks had a range of physiological and cognitive effects which included insomnia, increased heart rate and breathing and restlessness.
The non-caffeinated Prime Hydration beverage is recommended not to be sold to kids under 15
‘In this case, giving a dose of caffeine to young children who’ve got … developing cognitive function is not a wise idea,’ he said.
The FSANZ told Daily Mail Australia energy drinks need to comply with the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code.
‘FSANZ sets the standards in the Code which are enforced by state, territory and New Zealand food regulators,’ it said.
‘These regulators are responsible for ensuring Prime beverages comply with the Code if sold in Australia or New Zealand.’
Prime was contacted by Daily Mail Australia for comment.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Dailymail.co.uk
