THE Australia New Zealand Food Authority (ANZFA) has bought into one of the
most vexed questions of modern life—the health impacts of caffeine. The
question has arisen in the guise of deciding whether it should be legal to
increase the level of caffeine in Australian soft drinks. Australia’s maximum
allowable limits at present are lower than those across the Tasman, and a New
Zealand manufacturer wants the option to market a higher level product in
Australia.
Caffeine is a naturally occurring stimulant found in more than 60 plant
species. The best known examples are coffee and tea—which means that…
