German authorities banned some retailers from selling Red Bull Cola, as the country considers a nationwide ban after traces of cocaine were found in it, the Daily Mail reported.
A food safety institute in the German state of North-Rhine Westphalia found the drug during a test on Red Bull Cola samples.
"The institute examined Red Bull Cola in an elaborate chemical process and found traces of cocaine," Bernhard Kuehnle, head of the food safety department at the federal ministry for consumer protection, told the Daily Mail.
While the levels of the drug found do not pose a health threat, it is still illegal. The contamination would require the drink to be classified as a narcotic, not a foodstuff.
Red Bull argues the drink contains de-cocainized extract of the coca leaf, which is used as natural flavoring in foods worldwide.
The company also claimed the coca leaf extract is considered safe in the EU and in the U.S.
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