Fentimans drink sparks alcohol debate in America

Oct 28 2009 by Linda Richards, The Journal

VICTORIAN lemonade brewed in the North East is at the centre of an underage drinking row in America.

A spirited debate is raging about the soft drink after a teen at a school in Maine became concerned that it contained alcohol.

The boy handed it to his school principal who contacted the police and set in motion a series of complaints from substance abuse officials.

The drink is made by one of the North East’s best-known soft drinks firms, Fentimans in Hexham, Northumberland and contains 0.5% alcohol.

Officials of the Aroostock Substance Abuse Prevention Coalition and the Maine Alliance to Prevent Substance Abuse argue that the lemonade should not be sold to anyone under the age of 21 and should be reclassified as “imitation liquor”.

But Eldon Robson, Fentimans managing director and master brewer, is not unduly concerned by the controversy. He said: “I think it’s quite amusing, really.

“Maine is of course where our Puritanical forefathers went because Britain was not strict enough and it has been said that Puritans are people who are always worried that someone, somewhere might be having fun.

“However, underage drinking is a serious matter and this issue does need to be clarified. In the past 25 years, we have only had a handful of polite enquiries about whether our drinks are suitable for children and all of these people have been quite satisfied when we explain that they are legally classified as soft drinks.”