CRN supports FDA action against marketing pure powdered caffeine to consumers

WASHINGTON — The Council for Responsible Nutrition this week came out in support of the Food and Drug Administration taking action against marketing bulk pure powdered caffeine to consumers and its issuance of warning letters to five powdered caffeine distributors.

“We have been, and continue to be, supportive of FDA’s efforts in this area to educate consumers about the potential dangers of pure powdered caffeine,” CRN’s regulatory counsel Rend Al-Mondhiry said. “We share the agency’s concerns about the safety of this product being sold directly to consumers. In fact, earlier this year, CRN updated its voluntary guidelines for caffeine-containing products to include restraints against the sale and marketing of pure powdered caffeine.”

Though the council’s guidelines don’t limit the sale or marketing of bulk pure powdered caffeine on a business-to-business level, they do note that their members shouldn’t market directly to consumers. 

“We hope the companies receiving the warning letters will take these concerns seriously, and if not, we look to FDA to take the next steps under the law,” Al-Mondhiry said.