'Cracker Jack'd,' Line Of Caffeinated Cracker Jacks, To Hit Stores Later This Year

Who needs coffee in the morning when you can wake up with caffeinated Cracker Jacks?

It's no joke: PepsiCo's Frito-Lay is rolling out a new line extension appropriately called "Cracker Jack'd" that will include a caffeinated variety called Power Bites. One serving, according to its packaging, packs the same amount of caffeine as a single cup of coffee.

As one might imagine, the product is raising a few eyebrows. The Center for Science in the Public Interest, a food activist group, says on its website that it believes Power Bites violates FDA regulations and urges government regulators to take action:

"Unless the FDA begins enforcing its regulations, I fear that we'll see caffeine being added to ever-more improbable drinks and snacks, putting children, unsuspecting pregnant women, and others at risk," said CSPI executive director Michael F. Jacobson. "How soon before we have caffeinated burgers, burritos, or breakfast cereals?"

Ad Age spoke with a Frito-Lay spokesman, who said that Power Bites will feature "two flavors that will contain coffee, a natural source of caffeine, as an ingredient." The product is still in development, he said, but it's expected to contain about 70 mg of caffeine in each 2 oz. package. He also stressed that Power Bites are perfectly safe, and that it will be marketed at adult consumers, not children.