00:00Has the EU branded coffee harmful for humans?
00:07News reports and viral social posts are claiming that the EU has labelled coffee
00:11as dangerous for humans. Headlines such as this one accuse meddling Brussels bureaucrats
00:17of declaring coffee unsafe, while others lead with the line that the EU has labelled coffee
00:22harmful to humans if swallowed, stoking fears of a coffee ban around the block.
00:26This one outright says that the EU has banned caffeine and attempts to explain why.
00:32The articles vaguely refer to a report on using caffeine in pesticides,
00:36without providing any links or official names. But what has the EU actually said?
00:41Is coffee on its way out? An internet search of key terms
00:44eventually leads us to an October 2024 decision by the European Commission,
00:49responding to an application by French company Pogar to use caffeine as a pesticide for cabbage,
00:54potatoes and other crops. The Commission ultimately decided not to let the company
00:59use caffeine as a basic pesticide substance, based on scientific evidence from the European
01:04Food Safety Authority. It said in the decision that caffeine is harmful to humans if swallowed,
01:10noting that it has adverse effects on the cardiovascular system and can cause sleep
01:14deprivation and anxiety. However, it's misleading to say that this means the EU has labelled coffee
01:20as harmful to humans because it's referring to high doses of pure caffeine rather than your cup
01:25of morning brew. The EFSA's caffeine fact sheet says that there's about 90mg of caffeine in an
01:31average cup of filter coffee, 80 in an espresso and 50 in a black tea, and that an intake of
01:36400mg throughout the day doesn't raise safety concerns for the healthy adult general population.
01:42So, despite the misleading headlines, the EU isn't banning caffeine in drinks
01:47and your coffee dates, or afternoon tea if you prefer, are safe.
Comments