Energy drinks withdrawn

MANADO, North Sulawesi: PT Mega Sari Manado, a local distribution company for Kratingdaeng energy drinks, has withdrawn 35,000 bottles of the product over the last three months.

The company's sales manager Ferdinand Loho said on Saturday that the drinks had been withdrawn from four provinces under its supervision -- North Sulawesi, Central Sulawesi, Maluku and Gorontalo.

"The withdrawal action involved our local staff in each province, so they knew the stores and locations involved in the distribution of the energy drinks," he said.

In August, the Food and Drugs Control Agency ordered PT Asia Sejahtera Perdana Pharmaceutical, producers of Kratingdaeng, to withdraw products from the market within two months because the agency's tests had found that the energy drinks contained up to 80 mg of caffeine per bottle, far higher than the 50 mg per bottle written on the label.

Ferdinand said the energy drinks had been shipped back to the producer in Jakarta. -- Antara