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Entry № 001 · Beverages
Red Bull Energy Drink

Red Bull Energy Drink

Red Bull · 250 ml can

Red Bull Energy Drink (250ml) is an ultra-processed (NOVA 4) beverage containing high added sugar, caffeine, and taurine, marketed for energy boost but linked to health risks like elevated heart rate and insomnia, especially in youth. Per serving: 27g sugar (108% ICMR adult daily max), 80mg caffeine (near FSSAI adult limit of 100mg/prep).

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Sugar loadProcessing tierMarketing deceptionRegulatory historyFat profileSodium
§ A · Six-axis assessment
Fast answer

Why this verdict

Red flags present. Best treated as an avoid-for-regular-use product unless the underlying evidence changes.

2
red flags
2
watch points
2
passes
Verdict driver
Sugar load + Processing tier
Watch closely
Sugar load, Processing tier, Marketing deception, Regulatory history
Passed checks
Fat profile, Sodium
Frequency guidance
Avoid as a regular habit

The issue is frequency: the red flags make this a poor default, even if rare use carries lower practical concern.

Daily / most days
Avoid as a regular habit
A few times a month
Think twice
Rare treat
Lower concern if genuinely rare
2 red flags2 watch pointsDrivers: Sugar load, Processing tierSugar 27g/100g~108% of stricter sugar targetSodium 42mg/100g~2% of sodium day

This card is the decision shortcut. The detailed evidence and citations live in the six-axis cards below.

Sugar load
■ Don't eat trigger

Meets the RED threshold (≥5g added sugar per 100ml for liquids): 27g sugar per 250ml can = 10. 8g per 100ml.

This is evidenced by the product nutrition/ingredients information provided on the official ingredient list page.

Processing tier
■ Don't eat trigger

Evidence indicates NOVA Group 4 (ultra-processed) and it also fails another axis (Sugar load is RED), meeting the RED threshold for Processing tier. Ingredients include added sugars plus additives like taurine, caffeine, flavours and colours, consistent with an ultra-processed formulation per the research.

Fat profile

Meets the GREEN threshold: 0g total fat per serving and no evidence provided of partially hydrogenated oils or trans fat. Based on the official ingredients/nutrition source, there are no added oils/fats listed.

Sodium

Meets the GREEN threshold for liquids (<150mg per 100ml): 105mg per 250ml can = 42mg per 100ml. This is below the yellow threshold (150–300mg/100ml).

Marketing deception
■ Think twice trigger

Meets the YELLOW threshold based on soft performance framing: the slogan/claim implies an energy/performance boost, while the composition relies on caffeine/sugar for temporary alertness and no India-specific ASCI ruling is cited in the research. Evidence is limited to the product marketing page reference, so this is not escalated to RED.

Regulatory history
■ Think twice trigger

Meets the YELLOW threshold due to a regulatory advisory/limit context rather than a recall/ban: FSSAI specifies energy drinks shall not contain more than 100 mg caffeine per serving (product noted as 80mg/serving in research). No recalls or adverse findings are provided, but the cited circular and ICMR caution around energy drinks support a cautionary (yellow) classification.

§ B · Nutrition

Per 100 g

192 kcal
Energy
110 g
Carbohydrates
0 g
Fat
§ C · Ingredients

As declared on pack

Carbonated Water, Sucrose, Glucose, Citric Acid, Taurine (0.4%), Sodium Bicarbonate, Magnesium Carbonate, Caffeine (0.03%), Niacin, Pantothenic Acid, B-Vitamins (B6, B12), Flavours, Colours (Caramel, Riboflavin)

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§ D · Timeline
  1. January 1987
    Global launch of Red Bull Energy Drink [Source ↗]
    Red Bull · [1]
  2. July 2012
    Red Bull launches in India [Source ↗]
    Red Bull India · [2]
  3. September 2020
    FSSAI sets caffeine limit for energy drinks
    FSSAI
  4. January 2024
    ICMR Dietary Guidelines flag high-sugar energy drinks [Source ↗]
    ICMR · [3]
§ E · Citations

Sources of truth

  1. [1]
    Red Bull history
    Red Bull
    "Red Bull Energy Drink was launched in Austria in 1987."
    Open source ↗
  2. [2]
    About Red Bull
    Red Bull India
    "Red Bull entered the Indian market in July 2012."
    Open source ↗
  3. [3]
    DietaryGuidelinesforNINwebsite.pdf
    ICMR-NIN
    "Restrict intake of energy drinks high in caffeine and sugar."
    Open source ↗