Caffeinated peanut butter is here, draws ire of Charles Schumer

(credit: robinmcnicoll/Flickr)

Peanut butter can now wake you up as it fills you up—much to the dismay of New York Senator Charles Schumer.

A company called STEEM is making a caffeinated version of the popular protein-packed spread. Two tablespoons of it offers the same dose of caffeine as almost two cups of coffee, the company boasts. But that fact isn't a selling point to Senator Schumer, a well-established opponent of caffeine-boosted foods. On Monday, he called for the Food and Drug Administration to investigate the safety of the enhanced peanut butter.

Caffeine is a powerful stimulant, Schumer noted in a press release. “Unsafe amounts can cause adverse symptoms like increased heart rate and blood pressure and an overdose of caffeine can be fatal.”

Read 4 remaining paragraphs | Comments