New Zealand drink manufacturers will be given an 18-month exemption from rules that will ban drinks with too much caffeine, the transtasman food standards regulator said yesterday.
The exemption will give manufacturers time to adapt and comply with the new regulations.
At present, the New Zealand food regulations permit up to 200mg of caffeine in each kilogram of soft drink.
Some New Zealand "soft" drinks - such as Mountain Dew - contain 152mg/kg of drink.
However, these regulations will be replaced with the transtasman Food Standards Code.
This means New Zealand manufacturers will have to comply with Australian rules, which say caffeine may only be added to cola-type drinks up to 145mg/litre. Caffeinated non-cola soft drinks, permitted here but not Australia, will no longer be legal.
- NZPA
Further reading
nzherald.co.nz/health
Caffeine buzz in drinks to be reduced
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