Health committee  My colleague Chris Turner would probably be the better one to answer this question. There is a protocol that needs to be followed in order to consider the adverse reports. There is actually a stringent requirement about the way this information is collected and then subsequently

Health committee  I actually don't have the specific consumption levels in Quebec.

Health committee  In fact, you put your finger on the main element related to the inappropriate use of certain food products containing caffeine. The key element consists in informing consumers, especially parents, so that they can opt for caffeine-free products. In its new Food Guide, Health Ca

Health committee  The way the regulation works, essentially, it is the total amount of pure added caffeine to cola-based beverages, simply because caffeine has historically been regulated as a food additive in Canada.

Health committee  The same would apply for non-cola.

Health committee  Well, essentially we're talking about other carbonated soft drinks, the non-brown soft drinks, if you will.

Health committee  Essentially, the way the formulation of these products works, it is a pure addition of caffeine. That caffeine can be either pure extract or synthetic. It depends essentially on how the supply chain works.

Health committee  Thank you, Madam Chair. Energy drinks are currently regulated as natural health products. Therefore, I'm going to ask my colleague, Michelle Boudreau, who is the director general of the natural health products directorate, to take any questions on the subject.

Health committee  I'm actually almost done. The quantitative labelling of caffeine will provide consumers with information they can use to more accurately determine daily caffeine consumption. Health Canada will be monitoring the labelling practices of industry in this regard to assess whether

Health committee  Good morning, Madam Chair and honourable members. Thank you for giving us the opportunity to come before the committee today to discuss Health Canada's recent authorization of the broader use of caffeine as a food additive in carbonated soft drinks. As a food safety regulator, H

Health committee  I will try to give a general answer by explaining the monitoring program. The sampling continued until early 2009 and the last set of data was published in December 2009. We do not have on hand data showing there has been a substantial change. If the industry believes there has

Health committee  The only experience that we can speak to in terms of using regulations is really Denmark. The comparison is really difficult to make because of the nature of the supply that Denmark relies on and the sources of oils it relies on. There was definitely a contribution in the reducti

Health committee  The use of a regulatory lever will of course impose the same level of restrictions on products that are produced in Canada or produced internationally. I imagine there will subsequently be an impact on imports as a result.

Health committee  After the assessment of the outcomes of the current monitoring program, that could be one of the options that could be envisaged. We could see if the market has shifted or if the supply has changed dramatically since the time the data were collected. It could be an avenue that co

Health committee  It really depends on how we design the sampling plan. Every monitoring program will have to have objectives, so it depends on how we set the objectives of what the data need to inform. As a result, timelines could be established, but I would say that we already have all the infra