Feds cap caffeine in energy drinks

The federal government will impose limits on the amount of caffeine that energy drinks may legally contain, Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq said Thurs­day, but won’t restrict where they may be sold.

Ottawa also plans to require manufacturers to provide consumers with more information about high-caffeine beverages, Aglukkaq said.

Her announcement stop­ped short of recommendations by the Expert Panel on Caffeinated Drinks convened by Health Canada. It had called for energy drinks to be sold over the counter in pharmacies, like pain­killers and other medications.

Until now, energy drinks — like Red Bull, Monster Energy and Rock Star — were not required to display a nutritional facts table.

The change means that most energy drinks will be classified as a food, which means nutritional facts must be displayed on every can.

They had previously been classified as natural health products.