Thursday 16 June 2016

Veto to caffeine health claims on energy drinks?

When you are working or studying hard, drink too much coffee on a daily basis, you might be tempted to reach for a caffeine-filled soft drink to give yourself an energy boost. These drinks often claim to help with energy levels, concentration, inspiration, adding wings etc. Since the main consumers of these drinks are teenagers and young adults (68% of adolescents drink them regularly) and these drinks often contain a lot of sugar (up to 27g of sugar, 80g of caffeine in a 250ml can), MEPs expressed a concern as to such 'health claims' being placed on the labels. (Health Committee MEPs ask Parliament to veto energy drink 'alertness' claims). In a resolution adopted yesterday the MEPs asked the Parliament to veto the Commission's proposal to add health claims on caffeine to the approved health claims list. While the Commission excludes from the proposal products for children and teens, energy drinks would not qualify as such.The MEPs are keen to correct this omission.