In a garden in Oslo, William (11) and Georg (10) play football. Three bottles of the popular drink Prime are lined up on the terrace. The green one is Georg’s. – I was allowed to buy a bottle a while ago. And then we found out that there was so much that was not good for children in there. Today he uses the bottle as a water bottle, but gets a lot of attention from the other children in the street when they see him drinking. – They think it looks cool, and ask me where I got the bottle, he says. William and Georg say Prime is popular with many children, and that they got a taste for the drink after seeing him on YouTube. Photo: Kari Lie / news William has had his two bottles sent to him by relatives in the USA, after he saw YouTubers talking about the drink in videos. – At school, many people ask if they can get one, but I say no. But I share with my friends if I have anything left, he says. But he thinks the taste of the drinks is just right. – I think it tastes like very sweet candy, so I’m a bit done with it. I prefer to drink water or something else. Not allowed to sell in Norway Three weeks ago, the Norwegian Food Safety Authority said that the sale of Prime in Norwegian shops was against the regulations. The reason is that some of the products have too high levels of vitamin A and caffeine far above the Norwegian maximum limit, says section manager Are Sletta. – Too much vitamin A over time can cause serious health effects, depending on the dose. But children are particularly vulnerable because they have a lower body weight and tolerate lower doses than adults. Too much caffeine can cause acute effects such as restlessness, sleep problems and anxiety. YouTubers Logan Paul and KSI are behind Prime. Their channels together have almost 50 million subscribers. Logan Paul (left) and KSI are said to have sold Prime for over NOK 4 billion in the first year the drink was available. Here from London last summer. Photo: AP With the help of videos on YouTube and TikTok, among others, the drink has gained a lot of exposure and has become very popular among children and young people. In the UK, there have been long queues outside stores that sell Prime. In addition, bottles are sold for high sums on the black market, writes the BBC. Prime still available There is no Norwegian importer of Prime. Therefore, shops and kiosks buy cases of drinks from abroad for resale. This leads to high prices in Norway, in some cases up to NOK 500 per litre. But even though the Norwegian Food Safety Authority has notified that the sale of Prime is illegal in Norway, the product is still available in several Norwegian stores. In recent days, news has been in several stores in Oslo with Prime on the shelves. The owners of the shops do not wish to be interviewed, but say they are waiting for clarifications from the Norwegian Food Safety Authority. But Are Sletta in the Norwegian Food Safety Authority believes they have come up with the clarifications that are needed. – We have gone out widely and informed that this is not legal. Now we expect them to comply with this, and take the product off the shelves. Section manager Are Sletta in the Norwegian Food Safety Authority. Photo: Trygve Heide / news If the shops do not comply with this, the supervisory authority can impose a trading ban. So far, one shop has received such a ban, but Slettan says there may soon be more. – So far there is talk of one trading ban, but there are new and ongoing cases, so there may be more, he says. news has been in contact with Prime for a comment on the Norwegian ban, but they have so far not responded.
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Norwegian shops still sell the sports drink Prime after the ban – news Norway – Overview of news from different parts of the country
