FDA Probes Wider Caffeine Use in Food

Caffeine has been showing up recently in snack foods, candy and gum. Now U.S. food regulators are taking an interest. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says it will look at the effects of caffeinated foods on children’s health and take action if necessary. The Associated Press wrote about it April 30. The announcement came in response to a new product that went on the market this week, Wrigley’s Alert Energy Gum. The agency already is investigating the use of caffeine in energy drinks and energy shots. The FDA has given specific approval to the use of caffeine in a food or drink only once, for colas. That decision was in the 1950s.