Content about Caffeine

WASHINGTON — Wrigley announced late Wednesday the company is temporarily stopping the sale and marketing of its new Alert Energy caffeinated gum "out of respect" for the Food and Drug Administration as the agency investigates the safety of added caffeine in foods.

ATLANTA — Coke Zero has seen double-digit sales growth over the last five years, according to the company, and Coke is hoping to increase those numbers even more this summer with the release of Caffeine Free Coke Zero.

WASHINGTON — Three Democratic lawmakers on Wednesday released a report that found inconsistencies in the labeling and classification of energy drinks, extensive marketing to adolescents and young adults through social media and events, and high caffeine levels that exceed what is considered safe in soda by the Food and Drug Administration. The report was compiled using responses from 14 energy drink companies received by Rep. Ed Markey, D-Mass., and Sens. Richard Durbin, D-Ill., and Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., from their investigation into the industry.

NEW YORK — A group of doctors and public health professors are hoping the Food and Drug Administration will place stronger regulations on energy drinks to protect children and adolescents from what they call the harmful effects of high caffeine consumption.

GLENVIEW, Ill. — Kraft Foods announced this week a new addition to its Crystal Light line of low-calorie drink mixes, Crystal Light Liquid. Crystal Light Liquid is sweetened with a blend of non-nutritive sweeteners and is caffeine-free, gluten-free, sugar-free and has zero calories.

HOUSTON — A new website features gourmet tea and coffee products.

GourmetCafeSpot.com, owned by Texas-based Internet company Pagee Distributing, features such coffee and tea products as tea pots, water kettles, coffee grinders and roasters, coffee machines, espresso machines, tea and coffee blends.

Mounting pressure to regulate energy drinks could hamper growth in a category that has been on an upward trajectory for years. But sales of energy drinks have so far been immune to controversy. Mintel forecasts that sales of the products could double from 2011 to 2016. In 2012, Mintel estimates dollar sales for the category will total $9.4 billion, an increase of nearly 11% over 2011 sales. New line extensions, like Red Bull’s Editions, will continue to drive the category.

WASHINGTON — The Food and Drug Administration will review the safety of energy drinks containing such stimulants as caffeine in response to a letter from two senators.

While daily coffee consumption is dominated by ground coffee — 35% of consumers drink roasted ground coffee every day — premium-priced single-cup coffee is gaining popularity and has led the growth in the coffee category between 2010 and 2012, according to Mintel.


The single-cup market ballooned from $103 million in 2007 to an estimated nearly $1.8 billion in 2012, and Mintel expects to see upside for the segment until 2017 due to new innovations and more 
private-label pods.

SCHAUMBURG, Ill. — Sagent Pharmaceuticals has launched a drug used to treat apnea of prematurity in infants, the drug maker said Wednesday.

Sagent announced the launch of caffeine citrate injection and caffeine citrate oral solution, used to treat apnea of prematurity in infants between 28 and less than 33 weeks gestational age.

The market for the drug was worth about $28.5 million during the 12-month period ended in July, according to IMS Health. The drug features Sagent's PreventIV Measures packaging and labeling, which are designed to reduce medication errors.

Drug Store News recently sat down with Tom Hadfield, CEO of AeroDesigns, to discuss the company’s new delivery system for energy — the AeroShot Energy— and the brand’s inherent point of differentiation.


Drug Store News: What is AeroShot?


NEW YORK — One of the advantages to independent pharmacies' small scale is their ability to forge their own identities and invent new store formats in a way that might be harder for a national or regional chain.

New York, with its famously competitive pharmacy market and diverse population, has long been a hotspot for new store formats, and one of the products of this dynamic environment is Tisane Pharmacy, located in Manhattan's Upper East Side.