Replies to LegCo questions
LCQ20: Composition and sale of energy drinks
Following is a question by the Hon Alan Leong and a written reply by the
Secretary for Food and Health, Dr Ko Wing-man, in the Legislative Council today
(December 19):
Question:
In recent years, there has been an increasing number of types of energy drinks
on sale in the market, and as there is no legislation regulating the sale of
energy drinks at present, members of the public can buy such drinks at any time
in any place. Some students have relayed to me that they generally consume huge
quantities of energy drinks during examinations for energy enhancing effect, and
this trend has aroused concerns. According to the information from the Centre
for Food Safety, there have been cases of cardiac dysrhythmia, seizures, kidney
failure, and fatalities, as reported in foreign countries from time to time,
which were suspected to be caused by the consumption of energy drinks, and quite
a number of cases of adverse body reaction were associated with improper ways of
consuming energy drinks (e.g. taking energy drinks with alcoholic drinks or in
excess of the recommended quantities). In this connection, will the Government
inform this Council whether:
(a) it had conducted studies in the past five years on regulating the
composition and sale of energy drinks; if it had, of the details; if not, the
reasons for that;
(b) it had considered introducing legislation to regulate the composition and
sale of energy drinks in the past five years and conducting public consultation
in this regard; if it had, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(c) it has compiled statistics on the sales turnover of energy drinks in each of
the past five years and their market share in the beverage market; if it has,
set out the statistics in table form; if not, whether it will consider compiling
the relevant statistics;
(d) it has considered providing the public with health guidelines on the
consumption of energy drinks, e.g. the maximum daily intake of caffeine for
children under 12 years of age, pregnant women, people suffering from heart
disease and hypertension; and
(e) it will step up publicity in the media on the possible impact of energy
drinks on the health of the public; if it will, of the details; if not, the
reasons for that?
Reply:
President,
It is often claimed that energy drinks are able to achieve an energy enhancing
effect by stimulating the nervous system. They are generally non-alcoholic
beverages but may contain ingredients such as caffeine, taurine,
glucuronolactone and B vitamins, etc.
Taurine is a kind of amino acid found in natural food and can be produced by
human bodies. Consuming food containing taurine is generally safe. However, a
study on animals indicated that a very high intake of taurine might affect the
behaviour of animals (e.g. increased activity).
Glucuronolactone is a carbohydrate which can also be produced by human bodies.
Consuming food containing glucuronolactone is generally safe. According to the
research data currently available, no evidence shows that glucuronolactone can
cause adverse health effects.
The caffeine content in a can of energy drink is about the same as that of a cup
of coffee. Except for caffeine which may cause adverse effects such as
nervousness or anxiety in children or people who are sensitive to caffeine, no
evidence shows that any other ingredients in energy drinks can cause serious
health effects.
My reply to the question is as follows:
(a) Although the Government has not conducted any study on the sale of energy
drinks in recent years, it has gathered some information on their composition.
In November 2002, the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) carried
out a study in collaboration with the Consumer Council to find out the caffeine
content in prepackaged non-alcoholic beverages (including energy drinks)
available in the Hong Kong market. The findings showed that among the five major
categories of drinks covered in the study, coffee had the highest median
caffeine content (475 mg/L), followed by energy drinks (180 mg/L). An overseas
country recommends that for adults, the maximum daily intake of caffeine should
be 400 mg. However, given the relatively small package size of energy drinks (50
ml to 500 ml), normal consumption should not result in excessive intake of
caffeine.
Besides, the Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of FEHD takes food samples (including
energy drinks) at import, wholesale and retail levels for microbiological,
chemical and radiological testing under the Food Surveillance Programme to
ensure that all food for sale in Hong Kong is fit for human consumption and
complies with the legal requirements. CFS adopts a risk-based approach in
determining the types of food samples to be collected, the frequency and number
of samples for testing, and the types of laboratory analyses to be conducted.
The sampling programme is under regular review, taking into account factors such
as past food surveillance results, local and overseas food incidents as well as
relevant risk analyses. CFS tests about 65 000 food samples every year. Since
2010, it has taken 24 samples of energy drinks for various kinds of testing, the
results of which were all satisfactory. Following the media report in October
this year that a teenage girl in the United States died last year after
consuming nearly 1.5 litres of an energy drink, CFS immediately took samples of
energy drink products of the same brand on sale in the local market for testing,
and found that their caffeine contents were comparable to those of coffee
beverages.
Up till now, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not yet
reached a conclusion in respect of the case. No official announcement has been
made to confirm that there is a causal relationship between the energy drink
concerned and the death. Nevertheless, we will closely monitor and follow up on
the development of the case, and liaise with FDA accordingly.
(b) On the international front, there are currently no standards set by the
Codex Alimentarius Commission for energy drinks. In Hong Kong, Section 54 of the
Public Health and Municipal Services Ordinance (Cap. 132) stipulates that all
food for sale (including energy drinks) must be fit for human consumption. The
Food and Drugs (Composition and Labelling) Regulations (Cap. 132W) also
stipulates that prepackaged food (including energy drinks) shall be marked or
labelled with a list of ingredients . The ingredients shall be listed in
descending order of weight or volume determined as at the time of their use when
the food was packaged. Consumers can find out the composition of a prepackaged
food (such as whether caffeine is added) from the list of ingredients on the
food label and make an informed choice. As these requirements have already
provided consumers of energy drinks with a certain degree of protection, the
Government has not considered introducing additional legislation to regulate the
composition and sale of energy drinks in the past five years.
(c) The Government has not compiled any statistics on the sales turnover of
energy drinks and their market share in the beverage market in the past five
years.
(d) At present, international food safety authorities, such as the Joint Food
and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations/World Health Organisation
Expert Committee on Food Additives, have not set any safety reference value,
such as recommended acceptable daily intake, for caffeine. Different
countries/regions may give different recommendations on caffeine intake for
different groups of people. For example, it is recommended that the daily intake
of caffeine for pregnant or lactating women should not exceed 200-300 mg whereas
the daily intake for children below 12 should not exceed 2.5-3.0 mg/kg body
weight, etc.
According to the European Union Scientific Committee on Food, the adverse health
effects caused by energy drinks may be due to the interactions between
constituents in energy drinks, alcohol and exercise. These interactions may
affect the central nervous system (e.g. reducing the consumer's awareness of
alcohol intoxication), the kidney (e.g. increasing water and sodium loss from
the body in the short term) and the cardiovascular system (e.g. altering the
heart rate and blood pressure in the short term). These effects may pose health
risks to consumers. In recent years, there have been cases of cardiac
dysrhythmia, seizures, kidney failure and fatalities with a possible link to the
consumption of energy drinks reported in different countries. These incidents
may involve the over-consumption of energy drinks or consumption of energy
drinks in conjunction with alcoholic beverages, etc.
As such, consumers are advised to follow a balanced diet and refrain from
drinking excessive amounts of caffeine drinks, including energy drinks. When
consuming energy drinks, they should note the manufacturer's suggestion on
intake level on the label to avoid over-consumption. Energy drinks should not be
consumed along with other substances that affect the functioning of the central
nervous system (such as alcohol or medication with an effect on the central
nervous system). Pregnant and lactating women, children and individuals
sensitive to caffeine should also refrain from consuming energy drinks.
(e) CFS disseminates food safety messages through its website, publications and
Announcements of Public Interest on television and radio regularly. CFS provided
information on energy drinks in its "Risk in Brief" on its website in October
this year and covered the same topic in its monthly publication "Food Safety
Focus" in November, with a view to enabling the public and the trade to have a
better understanding of energy drinks.
Ends/Wednesday, December 19, 2012
Issued at HKT 15:01
NNNN