Caffeine: An Update

Abstract

While the total annual volume of caffeine has increased over the years, the actual per capita daily intake has not. This is based on the fact that the quantity of caffeine in a soft drink is about the same or, in the case of diet drinks, less than in 1961 when the original GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe) determinations were made. Since that time, there have been numerous studies on the effect of caffeine on animals and humans. The Select Committee on GRAS Substances (SCOGS) of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB) in 1978 reviewed all the data available at that time and concluded that there is "no evidence in the available information on caffeine [that] demonstrates a hazard to the public when it is used in cola-type beverages at levels that are now current and in the manner now practiced...", although they did suggest further study was necessary. The Flavor and Extract Manufacturers' Association (FEMA) Expert Panel has now reviewed not only the same data s the FASEB (SCOGS) Committee, but several more recent studies. On the basis of this review, the Panel reaffirms the GRAS status of caffeine under conditions of its current use as an international ingredient in nonalcoholic beverages.