FDA: Please Do Not Consume 100% Caffeine Powders

The Federal Food and Drug Administration has issued a friendly reminder urging consumers to avoid consuming the pure caffeine powders readily available for purchase online. The warning comes after an autopsy confirmed that an Ohio teenager died last month from a caffeine overdose after eating a teaspoon of caffeine, resulting in a "lethal level of caffeine in his system," reports the Columbus Dispatch. Caffeine powder is currently not regulated by the FDA.

The FDA warning notes that one single teaspoon of pure caffeine is roughly equivalent to the amount in 25 cups of coffee. And like the Four Lokos and other caffeine-alcohol hybrids before it, the FDA is particularly concerned about kids these days: According to the FDA, the powdered caffeine products are especially "attractive to young people." It joins inhalable caffeine dispensers as the latest threat to America's youth.

· FDA Consumer Advice on Powdered Pure Caffeine [FDA]
· All Caffeine Coverage on Eater [-E-]