Techno Savvy Club

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.”

He went on to note: “To think that peanut butter, one of the snacks most closely associated with children, might have to be stored in the medicine cabinet as opposed to the kitchen cabinet should serve as a jolt to the FDA.”

In the past, the senator has called for bans on caffeinated alcoholic beverages and powdered caffeine. Subsequently, the FDA took actions to remove some of those beverages from the market and sent warning letters to makers of the powder.

In a comment to Quartz, STEEM said that it had “complied with any and every obligation we were required to before putting our product out on shelves.” The company further noted that the peanut butter is safe when “used as directed,” (including not feeding it to pets). The company, which also added electrolytes to its peanut butter, welcomed federal oversight.

On its website, the company said STEEM peanut butter offers consumers a consistent release of energy that wards off fatigue and hunger for hours. Currently, the peanut butter is sold in stores in Massachusetts and Connecticut, plus online for $5.99 a jar.