Wrigley Pulls Caffeinated Chewing Gum

FDA fearmongering pays off

Wrigley temporarily halted production of its new Alert Energy Caffeine Gum in response to concerns expressed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration over the impact of caffeine on children and adolescents.

The company said it had paused the production, sale and marketing of Alert to give the FDA time to develop a new regulatory framework for the addition of caffeine to food and drinks.

The recently launched gum has about 40 milligrams of caffeine, as much as a half a cup of coffee, in each piece.