Couche-Tard has decided to pull an alcohol beverage from its shelves following the death of a 14-year-old girl in Laval. 

The decision comes a day after Athena Gervais was found dead in a stream behind her school in the Fabreville district of Laval.

The major retailer said it has issued an order to all stores to remove ‘FCKD UP’ beverage products.

“Although this product is perfectly legal for sale, acting responsibly is a way of doing things every day at Couche-Tard and that is why such a decision was made today,” the company said in a news release issued Friday night.

The teenager was reportedly drinking stolen malt liquor drinks on Monday over the lunch hour before she went missing.

The drink has an 11.9 per cent alcohol content, roughly double the amount of many brands of beer. Drinks with an a 12 per cent alcohol content are prohibited from being sold at grocery stores and depanneurs.

Educ'alcool director Hubert Sacy noted the drinks have a significant amount of sugar and juice, attributes which are attractive to young, inexperienced drinkers. 

"The effect is... to hide the taste of the alcohol because malt-based alcohol at 11.9 per cent is not that good. You have to cover it with sugar. We know that sugar attracts much younger drinkers," he said. 

Sacy noted that the sugar also has the effect of masking the effects of the alcohol which can indicate overconsumption. 

"You speak more slowly, your mobility is a little shakey, your body tells you you've had enough," he said. "But when you add so much sugar and stimulant, it hides the effects, so your body doesn't send you the signals."

Quebec Association for Public Health spokesperson Emilie Dansereau-Trahan pointed out that the sugar allows consumers to drink the beverage quickly, which has the effect of getting them very drunk, very fast. 

"You may get into behaviour you wouldn't do otherways. We have a lot of good studies on this effect," she said, adding that the alcohol can have lasting effects on teenage brains. 

Also dangerous is the large size of 'FCKD UP,' with each can containing the equivalent of four shots of vodka, and that the design and marketing can attract underage drinkers.

"The colours of the cans are extremely bright," he said. "The title is absolutely not targeting older age people."