OTTAWA — The federal government’s new rules limiting the caffeine allowed in so-called energy drinks will affect just a fifth of the market, Health Canada officials say.
Most of the energy drinks such as Red Bull and Monster already meet the requirements to keep caffeine levels at 180 milligrams per drink.
All energy drinks will still have to change their labelling to meet new Health Canada requirements to list ingredients and analysis of the amount of caffeine and vitamins.
And all the drinks will have to carry a warning that they are not recommended for children or pregnant or breastfeeding women and should not be mixed with alcohol.
But officials say only about 20 per cent of the market will need to actually reduce the amount of caffeine so that it meets the new 180-milligram cap. That’s about as much caffeine as in a medium cup of coffee.
The limits are much more lenient than the 80-milligram cap suggested by an expert panel.