Hot Off the Press

On November 1st, 2011, Health Canada announced that they will start the long process of regulating energy drinks (e.g. Red Bull), under the Food and Drug Act. What great news! Regulating energy drinks as “food” forces it to have a Nutrition Facts table, thus allowing Canadians to inspect its sugar, calorie and caffeine content to make more informed purchasing decisions.

Unfortunately, Canadians tend to think of energy drinks not as health products—where they are currently being regulated—but as soft drinks. Stricter controls on how much caffeine can be added and labeling requirements to include warnings for at-risk groups is BADLY needed. Children and youth are susceptible to commercials (especially eye-catching ones like Red Bull), but energy drinks have no place in their diet. In addition to the unwanted health effects, other nutritious foods and drinks, such as milk, are being displaced.

So what requirements will be placed on energy drinks under the new food regulation? Well, besides the existing ones, Health Canada is developing new requirements for energy drinks, such as a maximum concentration of caffeine – awesome!

If you are an energy drink fan, you have nothing to worry about because many of the energy drink products currently on the market will be able to meet the proposed limits and requirements. The label might just look a little different.

Just a reminder, Health Canada recommends no more than 400mg/day for healthy adults. The level of caffeine in energy drinks is different in each product, but can range anywhere from 50 mg/can to above 200 mg/can.

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Image courtesy of MinAn