city sues monster for targeting kids

San Francisco Suing Monster Beverage for Targeting Children

Monster Beverage, maker of Monster (highly-caffeinated) energy drinks, is now being sued by the city of San Francisco over its marketing practices which the city says is targeting children.

Additionally, the city has been critical of the beverage company for the high-caffeine content of its drinks. City attorney Daniel Herrera has been vocal in demanding that Monster Beverage both reduce the caffeine content of its drinks and cease targeting children in its advertisements.

That led the company to file a lawsuit against the attorney for singling them out against other similar energy drink manufacturers such as “Red Bull”.

Herrera started his crusade against Monster Beverage after the FDA announced it is looking into a possible link between energy drink related deaths.

Now, the city of San Francisco is pushing back with a lawsuit of their own against Monster Beverage, but they claim it is not a counter-suit nor that it is in retaliation. The city had been in some form of talks with Monster Beverage which broke down this past October. Monster Beverage says the warning label on their drinks specifically says it is not to be consumed by children. However, their website features children as young as six promoting the same drinks.

“[Monster Energy has] less than half the caffeine per ounce of the leading brands of coffee-house-brewed coffee … Today, any child can walk into Starbucks and buy an unlimited number [of large coffees] with no restrictions or limitations,” said Monster, reported the San Francisco Business Times Monday.
Source material:

San Francisco city attorney sues Monster Beverage
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/san-francisco-city-attorney-sues-monster-beverage-162813118.html