Four Loko, a brand which received a lot of criticism in the U.S. after several consumers were hospitalized, is becoming popular in China, Quartz reports.
The beverage has appeared in online shopping networks in China, where it is being sold as “blackout in a can” (yi guan duan pian). Chinese consumers call Four Loko “lose virginity liquor” (shi shen jiu).
The primary ingredients in the original version of Four Loko were alcohol and stimulants caffeine, guarana, and taurine. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) labeled this product “hazardous” in 2010, pointing out that caffeine is an “unsafe food additive” when introduced into a malt liquor product.
In response, Four Loko was re-released without caffeine and the other stimulants Nov. 18, 2010.
Quartz reports that a single standard 695 ml can of Four Loko is equivalent to six beers. China’s Xinhua News Agency reported that one can has as much alcohol as 4.7 shots of 80 proof vodka.
China sells this product as beer, but Chinese beer only contains around 4 percent to 8 percent alcohol. A number of brands contain as little as 2 to 3.5 percent alcohol.
One month prior to the reprimand by the FDA, nine freshmen at Central Washington University found themselves in the hospital after drinking Four Loko and vodka. Police initially suspected that the students had been drugged.
Four Loko was also linked to a car crash that killed a Texas teen back in 2010. The store clerk who sold the controversial beverage to the underage teens was arrested.
Many Chinese youth have started trying it in “Four Loko challenges,” just to see if it does, in fact, cause blackouts. Over 10,000 people have purchased Four Loko on Taobao, China’s version of Ebay.
On Aug. 20, four young Chinese girls downed six cans of Four Loko at a karaoke bar in Nanjing. The girls blacked out, and two guys came in and robbed them, reports China.com.cn.
“I will never forgive myself,” said one girl.
An industry insider explained the potential risks of Four Loko to Hainan.net, suggesting that consuming too much of this product can easily cause a blackout, which may then be followed by highly irrational behavior.
Editor’s Note: This post has been updated to reflect the fact that Four Loko has not contained caffeine or other stimulants since 2010.
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