Wrigley Stops Production and Sales of Alert Caffeinated Gum One Month After Debut

The William Wrigley Jr. Company has pulled its Alert Energy Caffeine Gum from the market, only a month after the touted chewable energy booster hit store shelves.

The decision comes as the United States Food and Drug Administration revs up its investigation, announced last week, into the effect additional caffeine consumption may have on children, according to a report by the Chicago Tribune.

If the FDA determines a product is unsafe following research and inspections, the agency recall, seize or prevent companies from producing the product.

"The only time the FDA explicitly approved the added use of caffeine in a food was for cola and that was in the 1950s," said Michael Taylor, FDA deputy commissioner for foods and veterinary medicine, said in a statement.

"Today, the environment has changed," he said. "Children and adolescents may be exposed to caffeine beyond those foods in which caffeine is naturally found and beyond anything the FDA envisioned when it made the determination regarding caffeine in cola."

Casey Keller, Wrigley's North American president, said in a statement Wednesday that the Chicago-based gum giant --- perhaps best known for its Wrigley's Spearmint, Juicy Fruit, Winterfresh, Big Red, Doublemint, Extra and Eclipse product lines --- has "paused production, sales and marketing of Alert," in order to "give the FDA time to develop a new regulatory framework for the addition of caffeine to food and drinks."

After attending discussions with the FDA, "we have a greater appreciation for its concern about the proliferation of caffeine in the nation's food supply," Keller said. "There is a need for changes in the regulatory framework to better guide the consumers and the industry about the appropriate level and use of caffeinated products."

The world's largest gum manufacturer has emphasized Alert surpasses all guidelines for disclosure and that it's not likely consumers would buy the product by mistake, since Alert was merchandised away from gum and candy sections and next to similar energy-enhancing products, such as 5-Hour Energy Shots.

Targeted at consumers between 25 and 49 years, Alert, at $2.99 for an 8-piece package, carried a higher price than most other gums, which typically run between $1.19 and $1.49 for a 15-piece pack.

Wrigley's introduction of the caffeinated gum was an effort to broaden its core market, as the United States gum segment in general has declined the recession.