Food additive · Stimulant
Caffeine
- CAS
- 58-08-2
A stimulant added to energy drinks, sodas and supplements; it also occurs naturally in coffee, tea and cocoa.
- Food additive
- Caffeine source
- Expert review pending
Concern level
A minor or very limited concern, such as being an ultra-processing marker only. The concern level sets how many points caffeine costs on a product’s receipt.
What the evidence says
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CaffeineStrong evidence
The FDA cites 400 mg a day as generally safe for most adults; EFSA advises no more than 200 mg a day in pregnancy. It is not recommended for children. [1][2]
Evidence tiers say how sure the evidence is, separately from how much it matters. About evidence tiers.
Rules around the world
| Where | Status | Details | Date | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| European Union | Warning label required | Drinks with more than 150 mg/l must state "High caffeine content. Not recommended for children or pregnant or breast-feeding women". | — | [3] |
“Banned” means explicitly prohibited or withdrawn after review; “not permitted” means never authorized there. We use each regulator’s own words.
Popular products that list caffeine
250 of the 17,000 most-scanned products in the US with a GoodSwap page list caffeine. The 12 most scanned:
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Coca cola can cokes LG Coca-Cola · 355 g Score 17 out of 100 Bad -
Coca-Cola Zero Sugar Coca-Cola · 355 mL Score 29 out of 100 Poor -
Diet Coke Coca-Cola · 355 mL Score 29 out of 100 Poor -
Zero Ultra Monster Energy · 1 can (16 oz) Score 51 out of 100 Okay -
Sparkling Orange Celsius · 12 fl oz (355 mL) Score 66 out of 100 Good -
Coke 20z Coke · 20 fl oz (591 mL) Score 17 out of 100 Bad -
Coca-Cola Zero Sugar Coca-Cola · 20 fl oz Score 29 out of 100 Poor -
Mountain Dew Mountain Dew · 12 fl oz (355 mL) Score 8 out of 100 Bad -
Tropical Vibe Sparkling Starfruit Pineapple Edition Celsius · 12 fl oz (355 mL) Score 66 out of 100 Good -
Zambia Bing Cherry Bai · 18 fl oz Score 50 out of 100 Okay -
Energy Drink Red Bull · 250 mL Score 20 out of 100 Poor -
Peach Vibe Sparkling White Peach Edition Celsius · 12 fl oz (355 mL) Score 66 out of 100 Good
Diets and allergens
- Vegan
- Yes
- Vegetarian
- Yes
- Gluten-free
- Yes
For the ingredient in general. Always check the package: a product’s own labels win.
Names GoodSwap recognizes on labels (10)
- caffeine
- caffeine citrate
- caffeine natural
- natural caffeine
- organic caffeine
- caffeine from tea
- caffeine anhydrous
- synthetic caffeine
- caffeine from green coffee beans
- natural caffeine from green coffee
Sources
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Spilling the Beans: How Much Caffeine is Too Much?
“For most adults, the FDA has cited 400 milligrams* a day — that's about two to three 12-fluid-ounce cups of coffee — as an amount not generally associated with negative effects.”
fda.gov
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Caffeine (EFSA topic page; Scientific Opinion on the safety of caffeine, 2015)
“Caffeine intakes from all sources up to 200mg per day consumed throughout the day do not raise safety concerns for the foetus.”
efsa.europa.eu
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Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011, Annex III point 4.1 (beverages with high caffeine content)
“‘High caffeine content. Not recommended for children or pregnant or breast-feeding women’”
eur-lex.europa.eu