Govt moves to cut caffeine in soft drinks

FE Team | Published: April 29, 2014 00:00:00 | Updated: November 30, 2026 06:01:00

Shamsul Huda
A gazette notification on reducing high level of caffeine in carbonated soft drinks is in the process being issued by the government following final recommendation from the review committee, officials say.
They say the existing level of caffeine in soft drinks is 200 parts per million (ppm) and it is more than 300 ppm in energy drinks.
To reduce caffeine addiction of consumers the government has decided to reduce its level to 145 ppm in soft drinks. But there is no such decision relating to energy drinks, though they contain the high level of caffeine.
A technical committee aided by stakeholders approved the reduction level under the BSTI (Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution) and it was sent to the ministry of industries (MoI) two months back.
An MoI official said: "We have already reviewed the proposals as per international standards and soon it will be sent to the ministry of law."
He said there would be a gazette notification by the ministry of law after its vetting.
In many countries of the world the caffeine level in carbonated soft drinks is less than 130 ppm and they are gradually trying to reduce this level further.
A senior adviser at the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) Dhaka office said in Bangladesh the carbonated soft drinks were containing a high level of caffeine.
He said the amount was very high in the energy drinks causing harm to consumers' health.
A former vice chancellor of the BSMMU (Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University) said the high level of caffeine acts a stimulator to the body and due to it an artificial stimulation is created which causes different psycho-somatic disorders among the consumers.
He said alongside the high level of caffeine, lead and other elements are present in both carbonated and energy drinks.
By drinking such harmful elements with soft drinks people are suffering from renal diseases and it is increasing every day.
Currently, a good number of soft drinks and energy drinks of different brands are available in the market.
A BSTI official said in random sampling tests they found the maximum 200 ppm of caffeine in soft drinks. But as the energy drinks were not under the BSTI; so they could not say actually how much caffeine they contained.
He said: "We are just an implementing authority and once we get the SRO (statutory regulatory order) after gazette notification, we will implement it accordingly."
He said after getting the SRO, the government would tell the soft drink manufacturers to reduce their caffeine level as per order.
The FAO local adviser said as artificial elements were being used in soft drinks, the high level of its use was harmful for human body.
He said though the state-owned BSTI claimed the carbonated soft drinks were containing maximum 200 ppm of caffeine, the actual amount would be more than that.