Michael R. Taylor, Food and Drug Administration (FDA) deputy commissioner for foods and veterinary medicine, released a statement in response to the release of caffeinated gum, which the FDA claims is the most recent in a series of foods to have caffeine added.
This is Taylor's statement posted on the FDA Website: "The only time that FDA explicitly approved the added use of caffeine in a food was for cola and that was in the 1950s. Today, the environment has changed. Children and adolescents may be exposed to caffeine beyond those foods in which caffeine is naturally found and beyond anything FDA envisioned when it made the determination regarding caffeine in cola. For that reason, FDA is taking a fresh look at the potential impact that the totality of new and easy sources of caffeine may have on health, particularly vulnerable populations such as children and youth, and if necessary, will take appropriate action."
