Regulations

Up to date, there is no a specific regulation establishment.

Recommend Dosage by European Food Safety Authority (EFSA)

The European risk assessment institutions have established that the following levels are considered safe for the main ingredients of energy drinks: taurine 4000 mg/l, glucuronolactone 2400 mg/l and caffeine 320 mg/l (EFSA, 2009).

Market Example Usage Dosage (Red Bull Energy Drink)

(Rotstein et al., 2013).

Safety Issue

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has adopted a scientific opinion on two ingredients commonly used in so-called energy drinks. Following a request from the European Commission, EFSA’s Panel on Food Additives and Nutrient Sources added to Food (ANS) concluded that exposure to d-glucuronolactone through regular consumption of energy drinks was not of safety concern (EFSA, 2009). The current body of knowledge on this substance is scant. Therefore, conclusions on whether this compound is harmful or beneficial cannot be made (Higgins et al., 2010).

References

EFSA. (2009). Scientific Opinion of the Scientific Panel on Food Additives and Nutrient Sources added to Food on a request from the Commission on the use of taurine and D-glucurono-y-lactone as constituents of the so-called ‘energy’ drinks. The EFSA Journal, 935, 1-31.

Higgins, J. P., Tuttle, T. D. & Higgins, C. L. (2010). Energy Beverages: Content and Safety. Mayo Clin Proc., 85(11), 1033-41. https://doi.org/10.4065/mcp.2010.0381

Rotstein, J., Barber, J., Strowbridge, C., Hayward, S., Huang, R. & Godefroy, S. B. (2013). Energy Drinks: An Assessment of the Potential Health Risks in the Canadian Context. International Food Risk Analysis Journal, 3(5).