FDA issues warning letter to five distributors selling powdered caffeine

The FDA on Tuesday issued warning letters to five distributors of pure caffeine. This is for the first time the FDA has issued directives to curtail the sale and consumption of the stimulant in its pure form. The FDA had issued a consumer advisory warning of the dangers of consuming pure powdered form of caffeine after two cases of fatality due to an overdose in 2014.

The FDA has sent warning letters to five distributors that included

1) SPN LLC DBA Smartpowders,

2) Purebulk Inc,

3) Kreativ Health Inc

4) DBA Natural Food Supplements,

5) Hard Eight Nutrition LLC Bridge City Bulk.

All the five were marketing pure powdered caffeine as a dietary supplement. In 2012, FDA had issued warning letters to Breathable Foods Inc, which was marketing inhalable caffeine product as breathable energy. In 2012, FDA had investigated reports of five deaths that could have been associated with caffeine-containing energy drink made by Monster Beverage Corporation.

Caffeine is a stimulant and finds use in small and safe doses in products such as carbonated beverage, coffee, and energy drinks. Increasing amounts of caffeine can lead to side effects such as tremors and nervousness. Consumption of large doses of powdered pure caffeine can cause arrhythmia, seizures, and even death.

The FDA revealed that one teaspoon of pure caffeine was equal to the amount of caffeine in 28 cups of regular coffee. A typical American day starts in the morning with a cup of coffee. However, the FDA is now urging companies who sell pure caffeine products to stop.

Sheila Sullivan who is a registered dietitian for Baystate Medical Center, talking to a news agency said that high levels of caffeine in the blood can raise your blood pressure to dangerous levels causing irregular heartbeat that can be fatal also. The only was FDA could stop it is to prove its health risks. The 1994 supplement act legalizes the sale of supplements, and the FDA does not have the authority over it.