On Monday, an announcement was issued by the FDA stating that investigations would be carried out to verify the safety of consumption products with additional caffeine. This followed after the gum manufacturing company, Wrigley, released a new caffeinated gum.
Alert, the new gum, prompted caffeine investigations by the agency after almost 60 years. The last time the suitability of caffeine was put under the microscope was in 1950, when the legal limits of caffeine were set. On the GRAS list, only 0.02 percent of caffeine is allowable in colas. However, 60 years is a long time and times have changed. People are now exposed to a wider variety of foods, some that naturally contain caffeine. Of greater worry to the agency is the fact that children and teenagers can now easily access these products.
All through the years, caffeinated beverages have sparked controversy among different groups since they have been shown to cause a number of health side effects. Currently, caffeine levels in energy drinks are not restricted since they are not considered regular beverages. They are currently viewed as supplements. Unfortunately, there have been a number of health incidents, and even death cases, linked to the consumption of energy drinks in the recent years. Although it cannot be definitively established that the side effects were as a result of consuming the beverages, the incidents are enough to raise eyebrows.
Quite a number of products processed with caffeine have been introduced into the market and the FDA reported that it looked at the safety of caffeine use through new glasses. It will especially look at the side effects of caffeine use on the health of adolescents and children. Wrigley reported that the market base for their new gum ranges from adults between 25 and 49 and not children. However, the gum is available for purchase by anyone.
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I don’t think a gum is really a threat to children. Bad habits are, and even regular gums are really bad… sugar, chemicals, etc… I think FDA is overreacting.