Patrick Brown: Health effects of energy drinks on young people not worth Parliament's time.

At a March 1, 2011 meeting of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Health, Barrie MP and committee member Patrick Brown brushed aside concerns about the health effects of energy drinks on young people:



Some quotes from the excerpt above:

"I don't think there is a lot of young people having energy drinks"

"I think it would misrepresenting to suggest that there is more kids having energy drinks than there is having iced caps ..."

"I think that there's much more important things that Parliament needs to be working on than declaring a war on Tim Horton's or caffeine"

At the time Mr. Brown made the above statements, he was questioning Justin Sherwood, President of Refreshments Canada.

According to the Lobbyists Registry, Mr. Brown was lobbied on behalf of Mr. Sherwood's organization, also know as the Canadian Beverage Association, on November 24, 2010.

Here is an excerpt from a March 2010 advisory released by Health Canada:

"Some products, such as energy drinks, can be a major source of caffeine. Energy drinks are not foods, but are regulated as natural health products intended for therapeutic purposes, such as "increasing mental and physical alertness". Consumers can tell which energy drinks have been reviewed by Health Canada for safety, effectiveness and quality by looking for the eight-digit Natural Product Number (NPN) on the label. Depending on how these energy drinks are consumed, they may lead to consumers exceeding Health Canada's recommendations, particularly those for pregnant or breastfeeding women and children. Approved energy drinks are labelled with a warning advising children and pregnant women not to consume these products."

I think Barrie, and the House of Commons Standing Committee on Health would be better served by a Member of Parliament who takes health concerns more seriously: