Business

Frito-Lay gets hyped up on snack food

These Cracker Jacks will perk you up after the 7th inning stretch
Photo Illustration By Lauren Cattermole; Courtesy Mcor Technologies

 

Photo Illustration By Lauren Cattermole; Courtesy Mcor Technologies

Cracker Jack is jacking up its popcorn with a new caffeine-infused version of the confection. Parent company Frito-Lay says the candy, called Cracker Jack’D, will be marketed in the U.S. only to adults, but the Center for Science in the Public Interest is raising alarm over the product, which will contain approximately 70 mg of caffeine in a two-ounce package (roughly the amount found in half a cup of coffee). In a letter to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the health advocacy group says Cracker Jack’D is part of an alarming trend of adding caffeine to foods that are traditionally caffeine-free. Other caffeinated products released recently include a “water enhancer” from Kraft, jellybeans, waffles, syrup and even potato chips, as food manufacturers look to mimic the wild success of the energy drink sector, worth an estimated $8.9 billion in U.S. sales in 2011.