FDA Warning: A PURE Powdered Caffeine Additive Can Be Deadly

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Stern Warning: Pure, Powdered Caffeine Can Be Lethal

In September, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warned five companies who produce pure, powdered caffeine – this is not the same caffeine in your coffee, we are talking about a pure form where one teaspoon equals 28 cups of Starbucks coffee. The FDA warned the purest form of caffeine is extremely powerful and can be deadly. Since the public warning, all but one company has removed their powdered caffeine products from the market.

The FDA said the products were “packaged to contain an amount that would be lethal to many consumers.” It told the companies to “take prompt action to correct the violations” and warned that if it did not, the agency could seize its product or stop it from producing more.

Of course, many consumer groups are happy to see this progress, but also feel this action is way overdue. Do you agree?

One Company STILL Selling

Despite the warning from the FDA, Pure Bulk is still selling caffeine synthetic powder, along with a tutorial video on how to “properly” measure the dosage. How long will the FDA wait to crack down on this toxic supplier?

This pure powder caffeine is being sold in the open market and can be bought by anyone. People assume something this dangerous would not be sold in the market in this form, or at least not without a warning label. Clearly there is a need for FDA to do more to regulate the sales of caffeine in this form.

How Much Is Too Much? The Thin Red Line

The biggest safety issue is the fact that safe amounts of pure caffeine are minuscule, and therefore, making it hard to measure. It’s easy to take too much when people commonly use unprecise kitchen tools to measure the amount. There is a high risk for the consumer since the difference between a safe amount and a toxic dose of caffeine is small when using them in pure powdered form.

People often add powdered caffeine to their beverages, but the amount could surprisingly damage their health. Exceeding safe amounts can lead to rapid or dangerously erratic heartbeat, seizures or even death. Several consumer advocacy groups such as The Center for Science in the Public Interest have asked the FDA to ban the sale of pure caffeine powder.

Last year (2014), two young men, otherwise healthy, died after using too much. These fatal results have contributed to regulators taking a step in better regulating these dangerous products.

About a teaspoon of pure, powdered caffeine is comparable to 28 cups of coffee or a 100 gm package (3.5 ounces),, and has as much caffeine as 400 ‘tall’ cups of Starbucks coffee or 1250 cans of Red Bull.

Watch here to see the latest news report on the FDA warning to ban pure caffeine on the market: