The Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission today approved sales of a reconstituted Four Loko -- one that comes without caffeine.
Which is kind of like cigarettes without nicotine -- it's a safer option, but what's the point?
The TABC had asked retailers to remove the old-school Four Loko from their shelves until they could get changes.
TABC Agents and Auditors have visited over 11,000 retailers, and found widespread voluntary compliance in the removal of caffeinated malt beverages. Rusty Woodland, HEB Business Development Manager of Beer/Wine Coolers, thanked TABC, "for the prompt and professional manner in which the agency handled the recent removal of certain caffeinated alcoholic beverages from the marketplace." Woodland said, "Your initial actions protected the citizens of Texas, and subsequent rulings allowed for a fair remedy for distributors and retailers. This decision is a great example of how a regulatory agency can collaboratively work with all segments of the three tier system to achieve a greater public good."
Yay for the TABC!! Says a retailer who's overseen by the notoriously prickly TABC.
The agency said approval on several other "energy drinks" was pending, or the former versions are no longer being sold.
Reformulated versions of Crunk manufactured by Cold Springs are currently pending approval, while applications for reformulated versions of Joose and Core are expected in the near future. New Century Brewing has ceased production of Moonshot, while United Brands Company has ceased production of Max and 3Sum and has no plans to reformulate these caffeinated malt beverage products.
What will Rice do? Or our Craig Hlavaty?