Loko notion: five drinks in one.

• Author: Sullum, Jacob
• Position: Citings - Phusion Projects' Four Loko - Brief article

IN NOVEMBER 2010, under pressure from the Food and Drug Administration, Phusion Projects promised to decaffeinate its fruity malt beverage Four Loko, the notorious "blackout in a can" that supposedly had let loose a horde of "wide-awake drunks" to wreak havoc on the nation's streets and college campuses. A year later, it was the Federal Trade Commission's turn to wring concessions from the Chicago-based manufacturer, which has now agreed to change its labeling and packaging.

The FTC claims the company gave consumers the false impression that a 23.5-ounce can of Four Loko with an alcohol content of 12 percent "contains alcohol equivalent to one or two regular, 19. oz beers." Phusion Projects allegedly misled the public by selling Four Loko in "nonresealable" containers, stocking it alongside weaker beverages that also come in 23.5-ounce...