Better-for-you energy drink G.O.A.T. Fuel is going all in on athletics, announcing today the company has trademarked the phrase “Sports Energy” for use on its cans – we know, we can’t believe it was available either.

G.O.A.T. Fuel’s cans have now received a subtle but significant makeover, placing "Sports Energy" front and center in lieu of the more generic phrase “Energy Drink.” As well, the brand has received Informed Sport certification and that icon has now been added to the backs of the cans. The brand was co-founded by NFL Hall of Famer Jerry Rice, his daughter and CEO Jaqui Rice Gold, and her husband and chief brand officer Trevion Gold.

Although energy drink brands have, for years, worked to craft partnerships with sports teams and leagues, Jaqui noted that the category has long been “controversial” among athletes over health concerns, from high sugar content to the rest of the ingredients panel. But that hasn’t stopped brands like Monster from forging long term partnerships with groups like UFC or the New York Rangers. Others in the game include C4 and soccer, Celsius and the Dallas Mavericks and Stars, and Gatorade and the NFL, supporting the launch of its athletic energy line, Fast Twitch.

But G.O.A.T. Fuel isn’t sitting on the bench. The brand became the first official energy drink of the Los Angeles Lakers in 2021 and has previously brought in investors from the pro sports world such as Minnesota Timberwolves owner Marc Lore. Now, the company is preparing for a stronger marketing push built around upcoming athlete partnerships with players from various teams and leagues.

• Jerry Rice posted a video promoting the "Sports Energy" name on his Instagram page today.
• “It's not really like a name change,” Trevion Gold told BevNET. “We’re just taking advantage of the real estate.”
• G.O.A.T. Fuel is currently available in over 10,000 retail doors nationwide and will be making a larger push into the convenience channel this year.

Have you found PRIME Energy drinks on shelves in Canada? Well you shouldn’t have.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency issued a recall last week on several energy drink brands – including PRIME, 3D, Celsius, G Fuel, Sting and 5-Hour Energy – citing caffeine content (all drinks exceed the 180 mg per single serving can allowed by Canadian law) and a lack of bilingual English and French labeling.

And it’s not just Canadian authorities saying the products shouldn't be sold in the country, PRIME co-founder Logan Paul agrees. 

• The YouTuber took to social media to correct the record, stating in a video that PRIME Energy is not distributed in Canada, so any cans found up north would have to be illegal or unauthorized imports.
• However, it was mainstream media outlets that Paul took to task, criticizing headlines for uncritically reporting the recall without noting the drink is not officially sold in the country.
• Last week, Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) called for an FDA investigation into PRIME Energy’s marketing, alleging it “feverishly targets” kids. The brand responded by welcoming talks with the agency and asserting it does not market its energy line to children.
• Could it be… Fake News? In his video, Paul said the “level of misinformation currently being spread about PRIME is actually insane” and suggested the brand is being specifically targeted because its rapid growth has been so disruptive to both the sports and energy drink categories, advising consumers to "take every headline with a grain of salt."
• “It actually doesn’t surprise me that we’re being targeted by massive corporate conglomerates and the United States government,” he added. “Because, using social media, we’ve effectively created a beverage so disruptive that it is eating the market share of some of the biggest corps on the planet. And quite frankly, they’re pissed! We’re taking money out of their pocket!”

The celebrity-founded tequila category has been crowded ever since George Clooney got into the game with Casamigos 2013. Yet, Danny Trejo’s Trejo Spirits – launched as part of the actor’s Trejo’s Tacos food and beverage business – might be one of the first notable non-alcoholic tequilas with a recognizable face (and chest tattoo). 

• He may not be George Clooney, but he fought him in From Dusk Till Dawn. At over 400 film and TV credits and counting, Trejo is one of the most prolific actors in Hollywood, ranging from small walk-on roles (remember him in Heat?) to voice-over work to the leading action hero in the Machete series.
• There’s no small parts. Growing far beyond the confines of his early career – when casting directors only saw fit to put him in roles like “Prisoner,” “Prison Inmate” and “Tough Prisoner #1” – Trejo has built a career on ubiquity and a dominating screen presence that has earned him a dedicated fanbase. They’re not slouching: the alcohol-free spirit – distilled in Los Angeles – is already sold out online.
• With over 50 years of sober living, NA spirits hit a personal point for Trejo, who has opted to focus on the growing category and expects to release non-alc versions of mezcal, American whiskey, rum, and gin in the future. 
• The launch of Trejo’s Spirits earlier this month also happens to coincide with reports that Trejo has filed for personal bankruptcy as part of back taxes owed to the IRS. According to ABC, his businesses – including Trejo’s Tacos, eateries and a record label – are not part of the filing.

Last week, the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Joint Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) sough to pump the brakes on a report by another WHO committee, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), that dubbed artificial sweetener aspartame a “possible carcinogen,” and stood by its longstanding recommendation that a daily intake of 0–40 mg of aspartame per kilogram of body weight is safe. 

If that’s too many acronyms to keep up with in a newsletter, you can read the full story on NOSH.

In our weekly roundup of new product launches on Friday we highlighted new powdered hydration products from Nuun, a “euphoric” new cannabis beverage launch, Bubly’s latest Key Lime Pie flavor, and five other new summer beverage releases.

Check out the full gallery on BevNET.

BevNET and NOSH editorial is on the ground today at the IFT FIRST Annual Event & Expo, hosted by the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT), taking place in Chicago from July 16-19. Stay tuned this week for coverage from the show floor.