It's no secret that caffeine is the lifeblood of America, and companies have been quick to capitalize on the "keeping you awake" trend by infusing a host of unlikely products with the perky, if sometimes controversial, stimulant.
(See: Monster Energy, 5-Hour Energy.) From Cracker Jacks to soap to unsuspecting pairs of trousers, here is a brief list of caffeine collaborations you might not have known existed.
1. Cracker Jacks
The ballpark favorite made headlines last week when manufacturer Frito-Lay unveiled a new caffeine-infused version of the sticky-sweet snack: Cracker Jack'd.
The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) immediately slammed the product as a potential danger to kids, saying it exemplifies "a new craze in which manufacturers add caffeine itself or coffee to more and more varieties of food and beverages."
A company spokesman responded, saying that Cracker Jack'd won't be marketed to children and will be packaged distinctively to avoid confusion.
2. Oatmeal
Why slurp oatmeal and coffee separately when you can get the buzz in a single product?
With such efficiency in mind, the creators of Spark instant oatmeal cram 50 mg of caffeine into every packet.
Taste critics weren't impressed: "[Its] medicinal taste seems to be concentrated in the desiccated cranberries and slimy apple slivers,"says Mason Currey at Slate. "I have to fight back the gag reflex with every spoonful."
3. Jelly beans
Caffeinated jelly beans are designed to give long-distance runners and other endurance athletes the extra jolt they need when their energy sags.
Yet the super-charged beans are still a favorite target of the CSPI, which argues that they put children, unsuspecting women, and others at risk.
Says CSPI executive director Michael F. Jacobson: "How soon before we have caffeinated burgers, burritos, or breakfast cereals?"
See the rest of the story at Business Insider