What should you look for when you look at the label of an energy drink? Insight from a food scientist, marketeer and QA gives you tips on what you should know before you consume this product -- whether you LOVE or LOATHE energy drinks!

1. Green-Eyed
Insight
3 Point Perspective:
Rockstar Roasted energy drinks
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2. Presenting a 360° review of the new
members to the Rockstar family
First observation:
The double-R logo is
finally applicable!
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3. Gluten/Lactose/Dairy Free
Next observation:
Can’t all the other Rockstar
products make these claims?
Why add them now?
I’ll tell you why…
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4. Gluten/Lactose/Dairy Free
Almost all the other Rockstar
products can make these claims, so
why add them now?
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This is an appeal to
consumers who have
never tried Rockstar
before. Some of these
new consumers care
about claims like these.
This helps them open
their mind, and see
Rockstar in a new way. 4/21

5. Almond Milk and Flavor Expectations
• Smoke on the can generates subliminal flavor
expectations, especially in combination with
almond milk
• Almond milk expands the Rockstar consumer
base:
• Some of the target consumers are already Rockstar
consumers, excited for something new;
GreenEyedGuide.com
• Some of the target consumers are people who’ve
never thought they’d want to try a Rockstar before 5/21

6. Almond Milk and Safety
With other Rockstar products, the
worst that happens when you leave
it out is it goes flat.
Almond milk MUST be refrigerated
within 2hrs after it’s opened.
Bacteria multiplies fast in
the “Temperature Danger
Zone: between 40-140*F
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7. Energy + Coffee?
• What do you think when you read “energy”?
• “Energy” = Caffeine?
• So “Energy + Coffee” = “Caffeine + Coffee”?
Not my
idea.
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8. With Other Natural Flavors
• It takes more than just vanilla beans and Vanillin
to create the perfect vanilla flavor
GreenEyedGuide.com
Caramelized? 8/21

9. With Other Natural Flavors
“Light”, as in the opposite of
heavy cream-vanilla or
overbearing-sweet
WONF means other natural
flavors were used with the
Vanilla to create the flavor
profile we were going for
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10. The Most Important Part
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11. How to Read a Nutrition Label in 30
seconds or less
1. Serving Size = 8 oz
Okay, that’s normal
2. Servings per container = 2
So pace yourself but remember
the Temperature Danger Zone tip
3. Calories per serving = 120 per can (blue)
or 120 per serving (red)
Think of this as a snack: it’s easy to
forget to count liquid calories
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12. How to Read a Nutrition Label in 30
seconds or less
4. Sugar – 16g per can (min, blue) to 46g per can (max,
red)
- Yowzah – 23g per serving may be too much for some
people; luckily the sugar content is lower in the
Light Vanilla version (the blue one)
5. Protein and Fiber – minimal
- Even though it’s got almond milk, this IS NOT a
pre- or post-workout supplement;
- Low fiber and protein content means these products
are unlikely to provide high satiety or assist
muscle recovery
- Energy Drinks DON’T MAKE GOOD BREAKFAST,
but with the almond milk, this won’t be as harsh on
an empty stomach as other energy drinks
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13. How to Read a Nutrition Label in 30
seconds or less
Ingredient List Observations:
6. The #1 ingredient is water
- Just like with other energy drinks, and plain
coffee/tea
7. Almond Milk is #2; second-most prominent by
weight in formula
- Remember to refrigerate after opening
- Where there’s almond milk, there’s usually
carrageenan (controversial thickening
agent used to give the almond milk body);
controversy avoided: they use cellulose gum
Um,…excuse me…
GreenEyedGuide.com
13/21

14. How to Read a Nutrition Label in 30
seconds or less
Ingredient List Observations:
8. Sucrose = table sugar, main source of sugar
- Non-nutritive sweeteners Sucralose and
Acesulfame Potassium (“Ace-K”) also used
9. Soy Protein Isolate = protein contribution is
minimal but can help mouthfeel
- Soy/corn are the 2 most common GM crops
in the USA but don’t assume this soy came
Um,… from the US
EXCUSE me…
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15. Pardon the Interruption:
A Note on Allergens, from Quality
A). Rockstar Roasted contains almonds and soy, which are allergens that ARE NOT in the other
Rockstar drinks
B). Since the drink says “ALMOND MILK” right across the front, it’s unlikely that someone who
commonly drinks Rockstar but has a nut allergy will consume this product. BUT, soy is also in
this product, and you’d have to check the label to see that.
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16. C). The bigger concern is allergen cross-contamination. Allergens have been the first or second largest
cause of recalls over the past 2 years.
D). Cross-contamination can happen when products that don’t have allergens are made on the
manufacturing line after products that DO contain allergens.
E). This is why allergen-free products are usually made before allergenic products, if both products have
to be made that day on the same manufacturing line. This is also why line-cleaning and allergen
programs are so important.
This is also why I have a job.
http://www.someblogsite.com/archives/3102
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17. Did you know?
From the Food Allergy Awareness – Workplace presentation at http://www.foodallergy.org/most-popular-resources
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17/21

18. Okay, I’m done.
We NEED to talk
about CAFFEINE now.
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19. How to Read a Nutrition Label in 30
seconds or less
Ingredient List Observations:
10. Coffee Extract = source of
caffeine, 5th in the list
- Note other sources in the list:
caffeine and guarana seed extract
All sources of caffeine are going to affect
the body the same way; the way a caffeine
molecule affects the body doesn’t vary
based on where it came from.
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20. Caffeine Safety 101
Caffeine Safety – 400 mg caffeine is the MAX amount per day
considered safe for healthy adults who aren’t pregnant or nursing
With 120mg caffeine per serving and 225mg per can, all 3 Rockstar Roasted
products are Level 3: Lethargic and Struggling from the 5 Levels of Fatigue
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21. That concludes our lesson!
If you liked this lesson, consider
this guide
for more on the 5 Levels of Fatigue, tips
for reading labels, and information
about common energy drink ingredients
(what they are, what they do, how much is
too much to consume)
THANK YOU!
GreenEyedGuide.com
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