Six states in Germany recently removed the new Red Bull Cola from it's supermarket shelves because a sample of the product tested positive for a banned substance. The test found that there was a trace amount of cocaine, approximately 0.4 micrograms, in the cola. The BBC article claimed that "The illegal cocaine alkaloid - one of 10 found in coca and representing only 0.8% of the plant's chemical make-up - is chemically removed before use, as mandated by international anti-narcotics agencies."
Fritz Soergel, the head of the Institute for Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Research in Nuremberg, Bavaria, stated that "There is no scientific basis for this ban on Red Bull Cola because the levels of cocaine found are so small," Soergel added "And it's not even cocaine itself. According to the tests we carried out, it's a non-active degradation product with no effect on the body. If you start examining lots of other drinks and food so carefully, you'd find a lot of surprising things."
Fritz Soergel, the head of the Institute for Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Research in Nuremberg, Bavaria, stated that "There is no scientific basis for this ban on Red Bull Cola because the levels of cocaine found are so small," Soergel added "And it's not even cocaine itself. According to the tests we carried out, it's a non-active degradation product with no effect on the body. If you start examining lots of other drinks and food so carefully, you'd find a lot of surprising things."