Thank you very much for inviting me to present here on behalf of the Canadian Beverage Association.
We are the national voice for the beverage industry, representing more than 60 brands, the majority of non-alcoholic, non-dairy beverage producers in Canada. That includes many companies that produce energy drinks, which have been sold around the world for over 30 years. They are now available in 175 countries, including all member states of the EU, the United States, Australia, and New Zealand, and they account for about 2% of total non-alcoholic beverage sales globally.
Energy drinks have been on sale in Canada since 2004 as caffeinated energy drinks. A caffeinated energy drink is strictly regulated by Health Canada as a food or beverage product; cannot and does not contain any amount of alcohol whatsoever per Health Canada's requirements; has a specific advisory statement on it about not mixing with alcohol; must contain caffeine, and the amount must be within a specified minimum and maximum concentration of 200 parts per million to 400 parts per million; is limited to a maximum of 180 milligrams of caffeine per single serving container; and has specific statements on the label that it is not recommended for children, pregnant women, breastfeeding women, or people sensitive to caffeine. These are not to be confused with any drink that contains any amount of alcohol because it cannot, therefore, be called a caffeinated energy drink.
It is because of these points that I believe it was important for me to attend here today, on behalf of our members, to clarify some of the facts about different products and to help the members of the committee to better understand what caffeinated energy drinks are.
The term “energy drink” is often incorrectly used to describe a number of different products available to consumers. Its recent use by some media outlets and even a few members of Parliament has led to further confusion about exactly what an energy drink is.
Health Canada, as I'm sure you're aware, released a statement clarifying that the product referenced in the media and by committee members in relation to the issues that we're discussing here today was not in fact a caffeinated energy drink. Health Canada refers to the products in question as “highly sweetened alcoholic drinks”. As pointed out by Health Canada, the product in question is a highly concentrated alcoholic beverage, essentially the equivalent of multiple single doses of alcohol, in a large, single-serve container. Energy drinks do not cause intoxication, energy drinks do not facilitate intoxication, and energy drinks don't mask the effects of intoxication. Currently, caffeinated energy drinks in Canada are regulated as food and authorized for sale under strict regulatory requirements. They are carbonated beverages that contain caffeine, but in fact their caffeine concentration is lower than that found in an equivalent-sized coffee house coffee.
Health Canada has used a science- and fact-based approach to assess the nature of energy drink products and to determine how they should be handled. As recently as 2013, Health Canada published a research document, which can be found online, “Energy Drinks: An Assessment of the Potential Health Risks in the Canadian Context”. This peer-reviewed research is one of the cornerstones of the safety of caffeinated energy drink consumption. The results of important research like this avoid the speculation, urban myths, and unconfirmed and incomplete data related to the products. Access to this definitive health care research, as well as other assessments by recognized scientific bodies such as the European Food Safety Authority can be found on our website, energydrinkinformation.ca.
Our members are committed to ensuring that we meet or exceed all legislative and regulatory requirements for the products. Even though most energy drinks, on average, contain less caffeine than a similar-sized cup of coffee, energy drink manufacturers do not recommend energy drinks to be consumed by children, pregnant or breastfeeding women, or again, people who are sensitive to caffeine.
I want to note that no caffeinated energy drinks that our members produce contain alcohol, period. That is not allowed by Health Canada. For a product to be categorized by Health Canada as a caffeinated energy drink, it cannot contain alcohol. It is important, as I'm sure you will agree, that Canadians should have a clear understanding of what products they are choosing to consume. We as an industry take very seriously the health and well-being of Canadians and are confident in the safety of the products that our members produce.
In conclusion, the safety of energy drink consumption in Canada is based on science, evidence, peer-reviewed research, and education.
Thank you.
I'd be happy to take any questions you may have at this time.