," FSANZ proposal aims to strengthen regulatory controls on caffeine in the Australian and New Zealand food supply to protect public health and safety. The proposal recommends prohibiting the retail sale of any food containing added caffeine, unless expressly permitted, and banning the addition of caffeine to foods for retail sale except where specifically allowed under the Code.
Under the proposal, the addition of caffeine would be expressly permitted only in Formulated Supplementary Sports Foods (FSSF) and subject to strict compositional, packaging, and labelling requirements.Currently, the food authority prohibits the retail sale of any food containing caffeine at the following concentrations:
Liquids: Prohibited if caffeine is present at a concentration of 1% or higher.
Solid or semi-solid foods: Prohibited if caffeine is present at a concentration of 5% or higher.
FSANZ is evaluating whether regulatory measures are needed to manage caffeine use across general foods, FSSF, and products consumed by vulnerable population groups. All proposed amendments to the Food Standards Code are assessed against key objectives, including protection of public health, providing consumers with adequate information, and preventing misleading or deceptive practices. FSANZ must also consider alignment with international food standards.
The overarching rationale of the proposal is to amend the Code to ensure safe and controlled use of caffeine in the food supply"
Consumer News Region