Caffeine.......a GRAS ingredient Caffeine may be used to impart a bitter taste to some food and beverage products, and some products may also contain caffeine for its well-known pick-me-up qualities. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration(FDA) classifies caffeine as Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS). Caffeine is required to be listed in the ingredients list on food and beverage product labels, and some manufacturers also choose to list the quantity of caffeine on product labels as well. Caffeine qualifies as a GRAS ingredient as it fulfills the criteria for it i.e. the GRAS ingredient must meet one of the following requirements: 1) The ingredient’s safety was established before 1958, based on a history of safe use and consumption by a significant number of consumers. 2) Scientific data and information about the safety and use of ingredient is widely known and publicaly available(through scientific articles, etc.), and there is consensus among scientific experts that the ingredient is safe for its intended use.