§ Mr. SandersTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what her policy is on food labelling with respect to caffeine. [120151]
§ Miss Melanie JohnsonThe Government are in favour of clear labelling of caffeine when it is used in foods. They therefore supported new European Union rules, which will require caffeine to be declared in ingredient lists when used as a flavouring: current legislation requires only the declaration "flavouring". The new rules will also require drinks containing caffeine in excess of 150 milligrams per litre to carry the declaration, "High caffeine content", together with the amount of caffeine expressed in milligrams per 100 millilitres. This will alert consumers to the presence of unexpectedly high levels of caffeine. The new rules will not apply to drinks based on tea or coffee.