Senators call on FDA to ban pure powdered caffeine products

WASHINGTON (Sinclair Broadcast Group) — Senators and the families of overdose victims called on the Food and Drug Administration to ban the retail distribution of powdered caffeine in products, "marketed as dietary supplements."

In a press conference held Tuesday, Senator Dick Durbin (D - Illinois) expressed his alarm at the concentration of caffeine in those products.

He was joined by Sens. Blumenthal (D - Connecticut), and Brown (D - Ohio).

Durbin warned that a single teaspoon of pure powdered caffeine sold in bulk is equivalent to the amount of caffeine in 25 cups of coffee.

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The families of two teens who overdosed on the product attended the press conference, to support the senators in their effort to ban it.

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