But the biggest player undoubtedly remains Red Bull, whose market share was almost 50%, making it the third most valuable soft drink brand behind Coca-Cola and Pepsi. Since its launch in 1987, more than 100 billion cans of Red Bull have been sold worldwide, including more than 12 billion in 2023. Figures that explode year after year. Its turnover also increased to reach 10.55 billion euros, an increase of 9% compared to the previous year, when it had already increased by 24%.
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Behind this heavyweight, Monster represents around 30% market share, leaving the remaining 20% to other brands. Some have experienced real hype this year, such as the Prime drink, very popular with teenagers. In a few months, this drink launched by two influencers (Logan Paul and KSI) has become a reference, despite a sales price that is enough to put off more than one person. But the two influencers, with millions of followers, have the ideal platform to target young people. However, Prime, like other energy drinks, is not without health risks.
Prime is now mainly available in two versions: Prime Hydration and Prime Energy. The first is a sports drink while the second is an energy drink containing the caffeine equivalent of almost 6 cans of Coca-Cola or almost 2 Red Bulls, or 200 mg of caffeine per 355 ml! This is twice as much as the maximum dose recommended by American authorities for a person aged 12-18.
Regulations in Belgium
In Belgium, Prime Energy is prohibited for sale because the legislation stipulates that a drink cannot contain more than 320 mg of caffeine per liter. However, Prime Energy far exceeds this limit with a rate of 562 mg/l. The Higher Health Council has also issued recommendations regarding the consumption of energy drinks. He advises avoiding consuming these drinks regularly or excessively and limiting their use to a dose of 250 ml per day. It advises against the consumption of these drinks when taking alcoholic beverages or during intense physical activity, just as it advises against consumption for pregnant and breastfeeding women, children and adolescents (up to 16 years old) and subjects sensitive to caffeine.
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However, children are a target for these brands. In 2022, two-thirds of students (67.0%) at school in Wallonia and Brussels said they would never consume energy drinks, according to a survey conducted by HBSC (Health Behavior in School-Aged Children) among 13,100 students. . More than one in eight students (13.7%) reported consuming it less than once a week. Furthermore, 19.3% of students consumed energy drinks weekly: 6.8% consumed them once a week, 5.4% two to four days a week, 2.4% five to six days a week, 2.2% once a day and 2.4% more than once a day. Overall, boys (23.3%) were proportionally more likely to consume energy drinks at least once a week than girls (15.2%).
Children or adults, these drinks are not without consequences on sleep as well. A study published earlier this year established a link between energy drink consumption and sleep disorders. Among men who drink two to three energy drinks per week, 35% fall asleep after midnight, 52% sleep less than 6 hours per night and 60% wake up during the night. Among women, these figures are proportionally only 20%, 58% and 24%.
