U.S. Senator calls for investigation into snortable cacao powder
Coco Loko contains ingredients found in energy drinks.
Chocoholics no longer have to eat chocolate to get their cocoa fix.
Legal Lean, an Orlando, Fla.-based supplements company, has introduced Coco Loko, raw, powdered cacao that can be snorted through the nose. The product, available in 1.25-oz. canisters, is also infused with energy-giving ingredients and marketed toward party-goers, according to Legal Lean’s website.
Coco Loko has caught the attention of U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer, who has campaigned against caffeine-infused alcoholic drinks. Citing concerns of doctors and parents, the New York-based senator on Monday called on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to launch an investigation into the product.
“This suspect product has no clear health value,” Schumer said in a press release. “It is falsely held up to be chocolate, when it is a powerful stimulant. And they market it like a drug – and they tell users to take it like a drug, by snorting it. It is crystal clear that the FDA needs to wake up and launch a formal investigation into so-called Coco Loko before too many of our young people are damaged by it.”
Schumer’s office said the product contains caffeine, guarana and taurine — ingredients often found in energy drinks. Legal Lean’s description does not list specific energy-giving ingredients nor their content levels.
The press release also noted Legal Lean, founded by Nick Anderson, did not consult with medical professionals while creating the product.
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