A major crackdown has seen energy drinks containing the equivalent of nine cans of Coca-Cola removed from shelves.
Around 700 drinks were seized from retailers in South Australia after they were found to contain the same amount of caffeine as nine cans of Coca-Cola or three cups of coffee – almost double the legal caffeine limit of 320mg per litre.
GFUEL, Bang and Raze Energy drinks had the highest caffeine content, with 300mg per 473ml can, while other energy drinks such as C4, Ghost, Ryse Fuel, 3D and Redcon 1 were found to contain 200mg of caffeine per can of the same size.
Consuming too much caffeine can cause insomnia, anxiety, depression, cardiovascular problems, heartburn, ulcers, seizures and, in rare cases, death.
South African Department of Health inspectors found 18 outlets selling highly caffeinated drinks, fined two outlets $1,966.33 (A$3,000) and issued warning letters to 13 others.
Acting Director of Public Health Chris Rees said they were working with retailers to educate them about the regulations.
“These drinks are often imported from overseas and retailers are unaware that they do not comply with our country’s regulations,” he said.
“We work with retailers to educate them about our regulations, prevent these drinks from hitting shelves, and impose fines on repeat offenders.”
Dr Rees also said the Australian Department of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries had issued eight injunctions against various non-compliant energy drink brands.
South Africa’s Health Minister Chris Picton has warned that high concentrations of caffeine can be particularly harmful to children.
Oleg Doroshin – stock.adobe.com
“What’s surprising is that these products appear to be deliberately marketed to teenagers,” he said.
“We encourage companies to check whether the energy drinks they sell comply with national food standards, and people buying energy drinks should always check the caffeine content first.”
“While we are working aggressively to remove these products from store shelves, it is also important that businesses do their part by not importing or stocking these products in the first place.”
