The parents of Logan Stiner who died in 2014 after overdosing on caffeine powder are renewing their call on Food and Drug Administration to ban the sale of the powerful athletic supplement.
Despite the family’s previous efforts, the FDA has not banned the sale of caffeine powder, despite the deaths of Logan and two others that were attributed to “acute caffeine toxicity” from ingesting the product.
Joined by another victim’s family the Center for Science in the Public Interest and several lawmakers, including U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Dennis and Katie Stiner asked the FDA to take a hard look at the dangers.
“Ban it,” Dennis Stiner said at a press conference on Capitol Hill Tuesday. “I said those words early on and I sure hope the FDA will do the right thing this time around.”
More than a year after Logan’s death, the FDA sent warning letters to five dietary supplement companies, alerting them that their labels violate FDA regulations and do not adequately address the risks associated with consumption.
But the Center for Science in the Public Interest, a national food policy organization, is backing the Logan's family in arguing that the FDA’s measures did not go far enough.
“This product is still out there on the market,” Laura MacCleery told newsnet5.com. “We know it to be fatal for consumers and it’s just a matter of two tablespoons of lose powder that can kill an adult.”
According to data from poison control centers across the U.S., there have been 60 overdose incidents involving powdered caffeine since 2014 and the majority have been in users under the age of 18.
Registered Dietician Nicole Gould of Vital Choice Health Store in North Royalton said they don’t sell powdered caffeine because of the potential to overdose.
“If you do more than the suggested dose, you could have health problems,” Gould told newsnet5.com.
Gould said she does not recommend large doses of caffeine to any clients but if they requested it specifically, it could be special ordered.
“I totally agree that it should be banned,” she said.
CSPI filed a citizen petition in December of 2014. MacCleery said they will be able to bring a suit against the FDA if they fail to answer that citizen petition within the next year or two.
