Jepsen
HARTFORD, Conn. (Legal Newsline) - Connecticut Attorney General announced Wednesday that beverage company Anheuser-Busch was taking the right approach in a decision to reduce the alcohol content of a malt beverage.
The company made a decision Wednesday to reduce the alcohol content of its 24-ounce fruit-flavored malt beverage called "Tilt" from as much as 12 percent alcohol by volume to 8 percent. Jepsen and other attorneys general had raised concern about Tilt earlier in the year.
"I am pleased that Anheuser-Busch has taken our concerns seriously and reduced the number of servings of alcohol in Tilt. I urge other manufacturers of similar products to also substantially reduce their alcohol content. We look forward to continued discussions to that end," Jepsen said.
"At a time when we are working to prevent the dangers of underage drinking and binge drinking, alcohol simply is not a product that should be 'supersized,' especially when masked by fruit flavors and packaged in bright-colored containers. There is no place in the market for binge-in-a-can products."
By reducing the alcohol content of Tilt from 12 percent to 8 percent, the 24-ounce single-serving would contain 3.2 servings of alcohol compared to nearly 5 servings in its original form. Similar requests have been made to other companies with products like "Pabst Blast" by Colt 45, Phusion Projects' "Four Loko" and United Brands' "Joose." Anheuser-Busch had previously agreed to remove caffeine and other stimulants from Tilt and other alcoholic beverages.
"Even with the reduced amount of alcohol, consumers 21 and over should still exercise caution and drink responsibly to avoid overconsumption," Jepsen said.
The new reduced-alcohol Tilt will be available this summer, according to Anheuser-Busch.