Spykes Pulled from Market after Pressure from Public Health Advocates and Attorneys General

Pressure from the attorneys general from 29 states, local coalitions, concerned parents, and public health groups convinced Anheuser-Busch to discontinue production of Spykes this spring.  Spykes was an alarming alco-pop product that was introduced in 2005 and marketed on the Internet, and became available nationwide last December.  Parents and public health advocates charged that Spykes were targeted to young people. Packaged in two-ounce containers and selling for 75 cents to one dollar apiece, Spykes were brightly colored liquors with names like Spicy Mango, Hot Melons, Spicy Lime, and Hot Chocolate.  George Hacker of the Center for Science in the Public Interest was one of many advocates who were alarmed by the trendy, youth-oriented product, calling it “a shameful ploy to sell liquor to the Lunchables set.”

Alco-pops is the name frequently given to sweet, brightly colored alcoholic beverages that are appealing to young people.  Sometimes called, “alcohol on training wheels”, alco-pops are often more familiar to young people than their parents.  Spykes was especially concerning, since they were malt liquor with nearly double the alcohol concentration of beer.  Spykes also contained caffeine and ginseng, giving the impression that they were an energy drink. Mike Scippa, of the Marin Institute, an alcohol policy watchdog group based in San Rafael, California, said this combination made Spykes appealing to both females and males.   He calls Spykes “an entry-level drink, particularly for young women,” that “also crossed the line into energy drinks, which young men enjoy.”

The attorneys general contacted Anheuser-Busch and expressed “serious concern about your company’s promotion and sale of alcoholic energy drinks—alcoholic beverages that contain caffeine and other stimulant and are highly attractive to underage youth.”  Anheuser-Busch agreed to pull the product in May, despite its insistence that criticism of the product was unfounded, claiming that the product had not performed up to expectations in the market.

Regardless of Anheuser-Busch’s denials of Spykes’ youthful appeal, the withdrawal of this product is an important victory for public health advocates, drawing the support of groups across the nation as well as the attorneys general from nearly 30 states.

Linda M. Bosma, PhD