,"Health Canada has announced a regulatory modification expanding the permitted use of caffeine in supplemented foods, including additional solid food categories such as candies, gummies and confectionery products. The update, published under Notice M-SIS-25-03, amends the List of Permitted Supplemental Ingredients to allow manufacturers broader flexibility in formulating caffeinated supplemented foods.
Under the new rules, caffeine — whether synthetic (caffeine anhydrous) or naturally sourced — is now allowed in foods under Item 6 of the Supplemented Food Categories, which includes hard, soft and semi-soft candies, gummies, and similar products. Previously, the presence of caffeine in these foods was not permitted.
Caffeine Limits Now Allowed in Supplemented Foods
Health Canada has clarified the maximum amounts of caffeine that may be added to supplemented food categories, along with related safety and labeling requirements:
Up to 56 mg caffeine per serving is allowed in most solid supplemented foods without triggering enhanced warnings.
Above 56 mg per serving requires a “high caffeine content” caution and mandatory statements for vulnerable groups such as children, pregnant or breastfeeding women, and caffeine-sensitive individuals.
Some supplemented bars may contain up to 70 mg caffeine per serving, provided they meet all required labeling conditions.
Certain confectionery-type supplemented foods may contain up to 100 mg per serving, but must display limits on the maximum number of servings per day and the warning: “Do not eat/drink on the same day as any other source of caffeine.”
For caffeinated beverages, previously established limits remain in place — up to 180 mg caffeine per serving, depending on product type and concentration.
Safety Assessment and Rationale
Health Canada’s scientific evaluation found that the expanded use of caffeine is safe for the intended population as long as mandatory labeling and serving-limit requirements are followed. The update also aligns with stakeholder feedback from the 2025 public consultation, during which no new safety concerns were raised.
The regulatory change forms part of Canada’s broader framework for supplemented foods, which aims to modernize product oversight, provide clear safety guidelines, and support consistent marketplace innovation while keeping daily caffeine intake within the recommended upper limit of 400 mg per day for adults.
Implications
The modification opens new product-development opportunities for food manufacturers, particularly in the candy and confectionery sectors. For consumers, it means that a wider variety of everyday foods — including gummies, bars and confectioneries — may now contain added caffeine, with clear front-of-pack warnings to guide safe use."