Less than two months after it hit retail shelves, Death Wish Coffee Co. is recalling “Nitro Cold Brew” beverage, ceasing production and changing its manufacturing process because it may have allowed deadly botulin toxin to develop in the product.
The Round Lake, NY, company launched online sales of the beverage on Feb. 2, billing it…
STEEM is a caffeinated peanut butter being sold in retail stores and online. Its makers say that STEEM is made with natural peanut butter and contains no artificial sweeteners. “Oh, and as much caffeine as two cups of coffee, so stick with the normal serving suggestions for the best effect,” they add. According to the…
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is taking steps to help prevent more deaths from the use of pure powdered caffeine. Last week, the agency issued warning letters to five distributors of powdered caffeine, stating that their products are adulterated “because they are dietary supplements that present a significant or unreasonable risk of illness…
Last week, the parents of two young men who died earlier this year after ingesting caffeine powder met with Food and Drug Administration officials to deliver a citizen petition urging the agency to ban the sale of powdered caffeine. In a blog about the meeting, Michael Landa, director of FDA’s Center for Food Safety and…
The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) is asking the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to ban the sale of pure, powdered or liquid caffeine as a dietary supplement. “CSPI believes that highly concentrated caffeine presents a unique, self-evident danger to consumers that justifies an immediate ban and corresponding adjustments to FDA’s…
Oregon, Washington and Vermont have filed lawsuits against the makers of the energy drink 5-Hour Energy for making “deceptive” marketing claims. More states are expected to follow. 
The defendants in the cases are Living Essentials, which manufactures, markets, distributes, advertises and sells 5-Hour Energy, and Innovation Ventures, which developed the formula for the drink…
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is warning the public to avoid pure caffeine being marketed directly to consumers after an 18-year-old high school senior in Ohio died after ingesting toxic amounts of caffeine powder. Products such as the bulk bags available over the Internet are essentially 100-percent caffeine, and a single teaspoon is…
Many consumers are aware of the safety concerns surrounding energy drinks combined with alcohol, but energy drinks in their own right are an increasing cause for concern. Dr. Stacy Fisher, a cardiologist who specializes in congenital heart disease and director of Complex Heart Disease on the faculty of the University Of Maryland School of Medicine,…
Update: This article has been edited to remove references to caramel coloring. What do trans fat, caffeine and genetically modified organisms (GMOs) have in common? Each of these distinct, seemingly unrelated food controversies actually shares a common origin: the generally recognized as safe (GRAS) process. In fact, a wide range of food controversies —…
The Institute of Medicine (IOM) today released a 150-page summary of the two-day workshop held in August 2013 to examine the potential health impacts from consuming caffeine in dietary supplements and foods. Presenters included experts from across the country and even Canada. The document does not contain any recommendations or position statements from IOM, but…
Chewing gum and mint giant Wrigley announced last week that it will temporarily remove its new caffeinated gum from the market after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration expressed concerns over the product’s safety. The gum was greeted with skepticism immediately after its release late last month by FDA and consumer groups alike. 
The federal…
