Bang, an energy drink created in 2012, was discontinued late winter at AAPS High Schools due to student complaints about the age rating and nutrition-related information, as printed on the can. 

According to Victoria Davis, AAPS Director of Food Services, “It was brought to our attention by concerned students at Skyline and Pioneer that there was a statement warning label recommended for people 18 years old and older.”

According to AAPS food guidelines, foods must meet certain requirements in order to be sold in school cafeterias: less than 10% of the foods sold in the cafeteria’s calories must come from saturated fat, and foods must provide one-third of the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) of protein, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, iron, calcium and calories. 

Although Bang fit these district requirements, students were concerned about the 18+ label, which ended in the removal of Bang in AAPS High Schools. 

Bang contains 300 mg of caffeine in a 16 ounce can. According to Cleveland Clinic it is harmful for an adult to ingest 400 mg of caffeine.  Teens should only ingest a maximum of 100 mg of caffeine per day.

According to Davis, “Our drink representative recommended this line since it fits in the smart snack calculator. There are no limits on caffeine by the USDA for smart snacks, as we learned during our research of this product. We pulled all the products once it was brought to our attention.”