A U.S. Senator is getting involved in a dispute a Connecticut nutritionist has with Monster Energy Drinks.
Dr. Deborah Kennedy, of Guilford, runs Build Healthy Kids and recently received a cease-and-desist letter from Monster in response to her newsletter cautioning parents against the drinks.
“Dr. Deb,” as she's known, has also appeared on the Dr. Oz show, where she has touted the potential health risks of energy drinks for children.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal said he wants to know why Monster would target Dr. Deb and he will hold a news conference at 11:30 a.m. on Wednesday at his office in Hartford.
Blumenthal said the news conference will be to “discuss recent actions Monster Beverage Corp has taken against Dr. Deb in retaliation against a newsletter she drafted for elementary school students and their parents cautioning against energy drinks and sugary beverages.”
The New York Times reported last week that Monster is objecting to statements Kennedy made in her newsletter, calling them defamatory and materially damaging to the Monster brand.
Kennedy told the Times that she never mentioned the Monster brand and was stunned by the threat to sue.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is investigating reports of adverse health effects, including illness, injury or death, of people who took products marketed as “energy drinks” or “energy shots.”
The FDA Web site includes a report of voluntary and mandatory reports on 5-Hour Energy, Monster Energy and Rockstar Energy Drink from January 1, 2004, through October 23, 2012. You can view the report here.
Photo Credit: NBC 5