Red Bull (global)

Red Bull is an energy drink sold by Austrian company Red Bull GmbH, created in 1987. In terms of market share, Red Bull is the most popular energy drink in the world, with 4.5 billion cans sold each year. Austrian entrepreneur Dietrich Mateschitz was inspired by a pre-existing energy drink named Krating Daeng, which was first invented and sold in Thailand. He took this idea, modified the ingredients to suit the tastes of Westerners, and, in partnership with Chaleo Yoovidhya, founded Red Bull GmbH in Austria. In Thai, daeng means red, and krating is the reddish-brown bovine called a gaur, which is an animal slightly larger than the bison. Red Bull is sold in a tall and slim blue-silver can; in Thailand and in some parts of Asia it is sold in a wider gold can with the name of Krating Daeng or Red Bull Classic. Both are different products, produced separately from Red Bull. The company slogan is Red Bull gives you wings and the product is marketed through advertising, events, sports team ownerships, celebrity endorsements, and music, through its record label Red Bull Records. Red Bull has been the target of criticism concerning the possible health risks associated with the drink. A restudy by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) concluded that in the levels used in popular energy drinks, taurine and glucuronolactone (D-glucurono-gamma-lactone) are safe. The amounts of guarana, taurine, and ginseng found in popular energy drinks have been found to be far below the amounts expected to deliver either therapeutic benefits or adverse events.