Why a Senator Wants the FDA to Investigate Caffeinated Peanut Butter

New York Sen. Chuck Schumer is calling on the FDA to investigate a new kind of caffeinated peanut butter that he says raises health concerns.

Two tablespoons of the product, called STEEM Peanut Butter, contain as much caffeine as two cups of coffee, according to CBS News. The senator says the high concentration could be dangerous, especially for children, and called on the agency to consider limiting the amount of caffeine permitted in snack foods, and to add warning labels to these products.

“Too much caffeine can cause a person to be jittery,” he said, adding, “everyone’s experienced that. But it can raise their blood pressure, cause heart palpitations and worse.”

STEEM is currently available online and in certain shops in Connecticut and Massachusetts. The company says on its website that the peanut butter is “perfect not only for athletes and active people, but also for normal life. How about never having to choose awful breakroom coffee because you don’t want to spend more on caffeine than you spend on your lunch?”

[CBS News]