FDA Ban of Bulk Concentrated Caffeine Supplements
Your morning cup of coffee is fine. Pure powdered caffeine and liquid caffeine products are a lot more dangerous.
Caffeine, for many of us, seems integral to daily life — whether it’s a steaming cup of coffee to start the day or an afternoon tea. And that’s been the case for centuries.
But that refers to caffeine in moderate amounts, and not to the amount of caffeine found in newer, highly concentrated supplement form, which often gets sold in bulk packages.
Consuming the wrong dose of these pure caffeine products can have deadly consequences.
That’s why the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a new guidance earlier this month to clarify that dietary supplements containing pure or highly concentrated caffeine in powder or liquid forms are considered unlawful when sold in bulk quantities directly to consumers.
The agency also took immediate steps to begin removing illegal products from the market, according to a statement.
“The guidance clarifies that dietary supplements containing pure or highly concentrated caffeine in powder or liquid forms are considered unlawful when sold in bulk quantities directly to consumers,” says Tave.
It bans packages and bottles containing multiple doses of highly concentrated powder or liquid caffeine that require consumers to measure out each dose.
One teaspoon of pure powdered caffeine, for example, can contain as much caffeine as that found in 28 cups of coffee, a potentially toxic dose for adults, and an amount that can be fatal for children and teens who are smaller in size and more vulnerable to the negative health effects of a caffeine overdose.
The new FDA policy does not affect prescriptions, over-the-counter drugs, or foods containing caffeine, such as sodas and coffee, Tave notes.
