Wrigley’s, the gum company that has been offering mouths across the world a minty chew since 1892, has decided to offer something else people love: caffeine. The company recently began selling a new caffeinated gum called “Alert Energy,” which has sparked major controversy.
As a result of the new product, which debuted last month, the Food and Drug Administration announced on May 6 that it is launching an investigation of the caffeinated gum and many other products containing caffeine. According to Michael R. Taylor of the FDA, “Our concern is about caffeine appearing in a range of new products, including ones that may be attractive and readily available to children and adolescents.”
The most obvious perpetrator of added caffeine made available to kids is soda, but it is not the only one. Several common household items are among the list of foods with added caffeine being investigated, including jelly beans, waffles and syrup. Many of the products containing added caffeine state it on the label, but that doesn’t ensure that they stay out of kids’ hands.
Wrigley’s “Alert Energy” is advertised to contain as much caffeine as one cup of coffee. Parents may not recognize that certain products, such as the gum, contain that much caffeine or even that their children are consuming them.
Some parents may not have a problem with their children ingesting caffein, or they may not understand how much is too much. The FDA has cited that approximately 400 milligrams of caffeine per day, which is comparable to four or five cups of coffee, is OK for healthy adults.
Ken McClain, a physician at the University of Oregon Health Center, said that while there is not a set level for children and there are not many scientific studies focused around children and caffeine, the general medical consensus is to avoid, or at least limit, caffeine intake for children.
“Physically, children are smaller in size so they are bound to be affected more per milligram of caffeine they drink or eat,” McClain said. “Also, their brains are still developing, which may also have an impact on how they are affected.”
Spencer Oien is one UO student who has experienced the effects of caffeine firsthand. Oien consumes most of his caffeine through a pre-workout supplement called N.O.-Xplode, which contains as much caffeine as approximately two cups of coffee. Oien says his body seems to have become used to the added caffeine and he experiences “caffeine headaches,” a common symptom of caffeine withdrawal, when he doesn’t have that extra boost.
“On days I don’t workout, I have to drink a cup of coffee to avoid getting the headaches,” Oien said. “Otherwise, I don’t eat or drink anything else with caffeine.”
Casey Keller, Wrigley’s president for North America told NPR, “After discussions with the FDA, we have a greater appreciation for its concern about the proliferation of caffeine in the nation’s food supply.” In response to the investigation, Wrigley’s has put the marketing and sales of “Alert Energy” on hold temporarily while the FDA continues its inquiry of the issue.