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

Health committee  We're talking about carbonated soft drinks, right?

Health committee  Carbonated soft drinks are considered to be foods and will continue to be regulated as such. They are represented to consumers as foods and they have been consumed mostly in order to quench thirst.

Health committee  Red Bull is carbonated, but that's a different category of product. That's the typical energy drink and that's what is regulated currently as a natural health product.

Health committee  There's actually constant discussion about that. Essentially, our objective is to look at the most effective regulatory framework that would allow the safe use of these products, so it is under consideration.

Health committee  Not necessarily on adverse effects, but we have information about the levels of caffeine in those beverages. Those were taken into consideration in the overall assessment to look at the caffeine intake.

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  Again, this question is about Red Bull and energy drinks, so I'm going to ask my colleague, Michelle Boudreau, the director general of the natural health products directorate, to answer your question.

Health committee  Health Canada did not recommend that carbonated drinks be consumed...

Health committee  I am repeating Health Canada's recommendation. The Canada Food Guide recommends that we opt for other drinks as our beverages of choice. That being said, those who choose to consume carbonated drinks containing caffeine should monitor their daily caffeine dietary intake. The id

Health committee  Are you talking about the presence of caffeine in food in general? The presence of caffeine in food in general is addressed in consumption studies. It was taken into consideration when we conducted our exposure analysis. Before permitting caffeine to be added to carbonated drinks

Health committee  I would just mention that the information Health Canada has is that there were previously some restrictions in some jurisdictions, specifically Norway, around the sales of these products. Our understanding is that more recently those restrictions were lifted.

Health committee  Yes, definitely. When we look at the potential effects of caffeine, we're looking at this issue more holistically, and really, at all the different sources of caffeine, and definitely those sources, as you indicated, some of those drinks that are based on coffee or on tea. Iced t

Health committee  In the overall policy direction, that's definitely one of the considerations we have, yes.