Caffeine labeling "expands wind" 2 coffee drinks listed for guidance

Due to the recent increase in both oil and electricity prices, many businesses are planning to increase prices or reduce output in response. However, some unscrupulous businesses are suspected of cutting corners on raw materials. The Taipei City Health Bureau announced the results of a caffeine investigation conducted in early March. The actual caffeine content detected in "Taiwan Coffee" and "36 Franc Collection Caramel Macchiato Coffee" was far lower than the labeled amount, and there is suspicion of inflation. The Health Bureau has listed them as targets for quality control guidance.

The caffeine content detected in "Taiwan Coffee" and "36 Franc Classic Caramel Macchiato Coffee" was far lower than the label, which may have caused inflation, and they were listed as targets for quality control guidance by the Taipei City Health Bureau. (Photography by Zhang Yawen)

Chen Liqi, director of the Food and Drug Administration of the Taipei City Health Bureau, said that in early March, 15 caffeinated coffee drinks, coffee ice products, and tea drinks on the market were tested. The results showed that the caffeine content of the "Taiwan Coffee" beverage produced by Mingwu Food Factory Industrial Co., Ltd. and the "36 Franc Collection Caramel Macchiato Coffee" beverage produced by Wei Chuan Food Industrial Co., Ltd. did not match the label value. The former was 47% lower than the labeled value, and the latter was 35.2% lower than the labeled value, both of which exceeded the reasonable error range.

Director Chen Liqi pointed out that many businesses had originally set recommended quality control values, so the caffeine content label would appear with words such as "positive and negative error range 30%". It is currently recognized that the reasonable error range cannot exceed 35%. In particular, these two products have already listed the error range themselves, and the error value finally detected exceeded the range they set. Since there is currently no penalty for this part, the Health Bureau will list these two businesses as quality control guidance targets and require them to improve.

The caffeine in beverages sold by businesses should not be inconsistent with the name, but the Taipei City Health Bureau also reminds that among the caffeinated beverages that meet the labeling regulations, the highest caffeine content this time is 61.45mg/100ml. Based on the reasonable caffeine intake of each person not exceeding 300mg per day, and based on the average bottled beverage of about 250ml, the public should not drink more than 2 bottles a day.