FDA Sends Warning Letters on Concentrated Caffeine Products

After publishing guidance in April for the dietary supplement industry, FDA has sent warning letters to two companies accused of illegally selling highly concentrated caffeine products.

Josh Long, Associate editorial director, SupplySide Supplement Journal

June 6, 2018

3 Min Read
FDA Sends Warning Letters on Concentrated Caffeine Products

FDA last month warned two companies they were illegally selling highly concentrated caffeine products considered a threat to public health.

FDA sent the warning letters to Liquidcaffeine.com and Dual Health Body and Mind after publishing related guidance in April for the dietary supplement industry.

In the guidance, FDA said products containing pure or highly concentrated caffeine in powder or liquid forms are considered unlawful when sold in bulk amounts to consumers, due to the significant health risks they pose.

FDA has cautioned it is virtually impossible to accurately measure a safe amount of powdered bulk caffeine with common kitchen measuring tools, such as a teaspoon. A single teaspoon of powdered pure caffeine is potentially toxic, containing the equivalent of up to 28 cups of coffee, according to FDA.

The warning letters were dated May 29, 2018, but FDA didn’t announce its actions until June 5.

“Despite being informed of the dangers of highly concentrated and pure caffeine, we’re still finding companies that are disregarding consumer safety by illegally selling products with potentially dangerous and lethal amounts of caffeine,” FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, M.D., said in a statement announcing the letters.

Liquidcaffeine.com and Dual Health Body and Mind, whose products targeted by FDA are sold as dietary supplements, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Several trade associations have supported FDA’s position, including the United Natural Products Alliance (UNPA), which in 2015 adopted a no-sale” policy for bulk powdered caffeine for retail sales. UNPA recently adopted a similar no-sale policy for liquid, high-dose caffeine products for retail sales.

In a memo to his members, UNPA President Loren Israelsen said FDA’s recent warning letters confirm “the agency is serious about this issue, and we remind our members of the importance of abiding by our no-sale policy which, to our knowledge, all members currently respect.”

FDA’s guidance is neither legally binding nor does it signal that caffeine in dietary supplements is prohibited under all circumstances.

“When formulated and marketed appropriately, caffeine can be an ingredient in a dietary supplement that does not present a significant or unreasonable risk of illness or injury,” FDA explained in its guidance.

For example, FDA stated it doesn’t expect the following products to be adulterated supplements, assuming they comply with all applicable legal requirements:

  • “Dietary supplements sold in solid dosage forms, such as tablets or capsules that do not provide an excessive amount of caffeine per item. Products in these forms eliminate the need for a consumer to accurately measure the appropriate serving.

  • Dietary supplements containing powdered or liquid caffeine (either diluted or undiluted) that are sold in premeasured packets or containers, with each premeasured unit containing an amount of caffeine that is not excessive. Products that are sold in pre-measured quantities eliminate the need for a consumer to measure the appropriate amount.

  • Bulk powdered or liquid caffeine dietary supplement products that have been significantly diluted to low enough concentrations of caffeine, such that a reasonably foreseeable measurement error, misreading of the directions, or misunderstanding about the nature of the product would not normally be expected to lead to toxic or life-threatening symptoms.”

 

 

About the Author

Josh Long

Associate editorial director, SupplySide Supplement Journal , Informa Markets Health and Nutrition

Josh Long directs the online news, feature and op-ed coverage at SupplySide Supplement Journal (formerly known as Natural Products Insider), which targets the health and wellness industry. He has been reporting on developments in the dietary supplement industry for over a decade, with a focus on regulatory issues, including at the Food and Drug Administration.

He has moderated and/or presented at industry trade shows, including SupplySide East, SupplySide West, Natural Products Expo West, NBJ Summit and the annual Dietary Supplement Regulatory Summit.

Connect with Josh on LinkedIn and ping him with story ideas at [email protected]

Education and previous experience

Josh majored in journalism and graduated from Arizona State University the same year "Jake the Snake" Plummer led the Sun Devils to the Rose Bowl against the Ohio State Buckeyes. He also holds a J.D. from the University of Wyoming College of Law, was admitted in 2008 to practice law in the state of Colorado and spent a year clerking for a state district court judge.

Over more than a quarter century, he’s written on various topics for newspapers and business-to-business publications – from the Yavapai in Arizona and a controversial plan for a nuclear-waste incinerator in Idaho to nuanced issues, including FDA enforcement of the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994 (DSHEA).

Since the late 1990s, his articles have been published in a variety of media, including but not limited to, the Cape Cod Times (in Massachusetts), Sedona Red Rock News (in Arizona), Denver Post (in Colorado), Casper Star-Tribune (in Wyoming), now-defunct Jackson Hole Guide (in Wyoming), Colorado Lawyer (published by the Colorado Bar Association) and Nutrition Business Journal.

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