Down for the count.Was it asking too much? Last July, when we called on the FDA FDA abbr. Food and Drug Administration FDA, n.pr See Food and Drug Administration. FDA, n.pr the abbreviation for the Food and Drug Administration. to require food companies to list caffeine caffeine (kăfēn`), odorless, slightly bitter alkaloid found in coffee, tea, kola nuts (see cola), ilex plants (the source of the Latin American drink maté), and, in small amounts, in cocoa (see cacao). - content on their labels, the Grocery Manufacturers of America (GMA GMA glycol methacrylate. ) didn't take our slap on the beans lightly. No can do, it said. Why? * Everybody already knows that coffee and tea contain caffeine, says the GMA. But do they know how much is in foods that contain coffee? Can they tell, for example, that a cup of Dannon Coffee Yogurt contains 45 milligrams of caffeine (that's like drinking half a cup of instant coffee), while a cup of Dannon Light Cappuccino cap·puc·ci·no n. pl. cap·puc·ci·nos Espresso coffee mixed or topped with steamed milk or cream. [Italian, Yogurt has none? * Shoppers can call the toll-free number that's listed on many labels if they want to find out how much caffeine is in a food, says the GMA. But even if you happened to have your cellular phone with you in the supermarket, would you suspect that a can of Sunkist Orange Soda had more caffeine than a can of Pepsi? * There's no proof that caffeine is harmful, says the GMA. So why does the FDA recommend that pregnant women minimize their caffeine intake? Don't get us wrong. Nobody wants to ban caffeine. But people who want to limit their intake should be able to tell how much they're getting in their food. If you agree, please fill out and return the coupon to us (CSPI--Caffeine, Suite 300, 1875 Connecticut Ave. N.W., Washington, D.C. 20009). We'll forward them to the FDA. Top Web "Most online medical sites are about as spellbinding spell·bind tr.v. spell·bound , spell·bind·ing, spell·binds To hold under or as if under a spell; enchant or fascinate. [Back-formation from spellbound. as a nutrition label on a package of Twinkies," says PC Magazine Online. "But the Center for Science in the Public Interest is infinitely more readable because it has preventive information you can apply to your own life right away. It's also the sordid sor·did adj. 1. Filthy or dirty; foul. 2. Depressingly squalid; wretched: sordid shantytowns. 3. story of the polities of health." If you want to find out why PC Magazine Online named us one of its 100 Top Web Sites in August, point your browser to www.cspinet.org. |
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