Safety
Energy drinks have been sold and safely consumed for serveral decades and are available in more than 170 countries, including Canada, the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand and all Member of States of the European Union.
The safety of mainstream energy drinks has been recognized by the world’s leading health authorities, including — the U.S. FDA, Health Canada, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and the Food Standards Australia New Sealand (FSANZ).
Health Canada
Health Canada’s energy drink assessment, published in June 2013, concluded:
- For healthy adults, daily caffeine intake from any source of up to 400 mg is not associated with adverse health effects.
- How much caffeine does my beverage have — find out here.
- For teens 13 – 18 years of age, Health Canada has suggested a daily caffeine intake limit of 2.5 mg per kilogram of body weight.
U.S. Food & Drug Administration
In recent years, FDA has extensively studied the safety and consumption of energy drinks. This includes commissioning a consumption study of caffeinated beverages and authorizing the Institute of Medicine (IOM) to conduct a two-day public workshop on caffeine in food and dietary supplements. The study confirmed that overall caffeine intake has not increased since energy drinks entered the U.S. market, and that energy drinks contribute only a small portion of American consumers’ daily caffeine intake, even for children and adolescents.
European Food Safety Authority
In Europe, EFSA has extensively studied energy drinks for more than 15 years and has repeatedly confirmed the safety of energy drink ingredients. In 2015, EFSA released its Scientific Opinion on the Safety of Caffeine, concluding:
There is no generally accepted scientific and fact-based evidence that taurine and D-glucurono-y-lactone (two ingredients commonly used in energy drinks) interact adversely with, or enhance the effects of, caffeine with respect to its effects on the cardiovascular system, the central nervous system, or hydration status in the body at the levels typically included in energy drinks.
For healthy adults, a single dose of up to 200 mg caffeine from any dietary source is not associated with adverse health effects. Daily caffeine intake of up to 400 mg from any dietary source is also not associated with adverse health effects for this population.
For children (3-10 years) and adolescents (10-18 years), a safety level of 3mg/kg body weight was proposed for maximum daily caffeine consumption.
Voluntary Commitments in Canada
Canadian Beverage Association (CBA) member companies — which represent the majority of the energy drinks sold in Canada — support a responsible commitment to the manufacturing, marketing and consumption of their products. CBA member companies voluntarily adhere to the CBA Guidance for the Responsible Labeling and Marketing of Energy Drinks, which, among other things, outline that energy drinks are not to be marketed to children, including the marketing or sale of energy drinks in schools between grades K-12.
Labelling
Energy drink labels contain a great deal of information. Consumers can easily learn the following from the label, among other things.
- The total amount of caffeine from all sources
- All ingredients
