TORONTO, May 6, 2026 – The Canadian Beverage Association acknowledges the petition presented today by Québec Solidaire regarding energy drinks. The Canadian Beverage Association supports science-based, well-considered regulation, and thus opposes the proposed energy drink sales restrictions because they are not justified from a scientific or public policy perspective. The Association remains committed to working with Health Canada and Québec stakeholders to advance an evidence-based approach to public health that is based on science and data, and that accounts for the rigorous regulatory framework with which energy drinks must already comply. The petition’s recommendations are not supported by the extensive body of relevant scientific evidence, including evidence regarding how teenagers consume caffeine.
The supplemental ingredients in energy drinks have been studied and repeatedly affirmed as safe for consumption (individually and in combination) under their approved conditions of use by regulators worldwide, including the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), Health Canada, and the Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ), among others. Caffeine is consumed safely by millions of people in various forms, such as coffee, tea, soft drinks, and chocolate. A recent peer reviewed study shows that only 11% of American teenagers’ caffeine intake comes from energy drinksi, a figure reinforced by a poll by Ipsos in Québec, which found that only 27% of teenagers aged 13 to 18 years old indicated that they had consumed an energy drink in the past three months.ii In comparison, about half of these teenagers reported having had a coffee drink.iii
Health Canada enforces a mandatory regulatory framework for supplemented foods, including energy drinks, informed by rigorous science. This framework limits the caffeine content in energy drinks to a maximum of 180 mg per 500ml serving — proportionally less than what is typically found in a medium coffee-house drip coffee.iv Health Canada also mandates the use of cautionary labelling statements, including caffeine content, and regulates the use of other common ingredients in energy drinks.
The CBA’s Energy Drink Marketing Code reinforces these regulatory requirements with additional voluntary industry commitments, including requiring that advertising for energy drinks will not target children and that products will not be sold in schools.v The Canadian Beverage Association supports transparency and clear communication with consumers, public health authorities, and governments, and will continue engaging constructively with Health Canada and Québec stakeholders.
“Energy drinks have a long history of safe consumption both in Canada and globally and are highly regulated by Health Canada. To the extent that questions remain regarding caffeine consumption, members of the Canadian Beverage Association will continue working with federal and provincial public health authorities as a transparent and constructive partner. Clear communication and public education remain our strongest tools for ensuring safe, informed caffeine consumption for all consumers, regardless of age.”
— Krista Scaldwell, President, Canadian Beverage Association
“Energy drinks are already regulated in Canada, with clear regulatory limits on caffeine content and prominent labelling so consumers can make informed choices. The evidence does not support an age-based ban on one product category when sources of caffeine among youth vary across total dietary exposure. Research points to public education and transparent labelling as effective approaches to supporting informed consumption.”
— Mark Feeley, Senior Toxicology and Food Safety Advisor, Global Food Regulatory Science Society (GFoRSS), and Former Associate Director, Health Canada
The Canadian Beverage Association believes that an evidence-based discussion is more constructive than singling out a specific product category already aligned with a rigorous, evidence-based regulatory framework. Energy drinks account for a small share of daily caffeine consumption — a fact that any proportionate public health response must consider.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
- 77% of Canadians drink products containing caffeine according to a 2020 Ipsos poll.vi
- In Québec, a 250-ml energy drink typically contains 80 mg of caffeine – about the same amount as a cup of instant coffee.
- The latest scientific evidence recognizes that caffeine is the same regardless of the source.
- CBA’s Energy Drink Marketing Code clearly indicates that advertising for these products cannot target children and that they cannot be sold in schools.
i Peer-reviewed study on adolescent caffeine sources. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0278691525000031
ii 2020 poll conducted by Ipsos for the CBA among 1,335 Quebecers aged between 13-18 years old.
iii Ibid.
iv Health Canada estimates that roasted and ground, filter drip coffee is 179 mg per 237ml serving size.
https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/food-nutrition/food-safety/food-additives/caffeine-foods.html
v https://canadianbeverage.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/CBA-Energy-drinks-Code-2024.pdf
vi 2020 poll conducted by Ipsos for the CBA among 1,335 Quebecers aged between 13-18 years old.