Austria-based Red Bull said that checks at stores where the blackmailers said they had positioned contaminated drinks had shown nothing, and that the threat was confined to products on sale in Austria.
“Red Bull has been the target of blackmail attempts for weeks...Given that this purely criminally motivated blackmail attempt affects not only Red Bull but also potentially indirectly affects all other foodstuffs on sale, we have decided - also on principle - to make a statement to the effect that the company is not susceptible to blackmail.
"To avoid speculation we have decided to go public with the information in order to neutralise the blackmailers' leverage."
Red Bull said it was co-operating with police and said that both parties believed they were “close to the perpetrators and they will be found”.
"We will be making no further comment while the investigation continues,"