"Decaffeinated Beverages Distributed in Gyeonggi Contain Less Than 10% of Caffeine Compared to Regular Drinks," Says Gyeonggi Institute of Health and Environment

Gyeonggi-do Institute of Health and Environment

Decaffeinated beverages distributed in Gyeonggi-do were found to contain less than 10% of the caffeine content compared to regular beverages.

The Gyeonggi-do Institute of Health and Environment announced on July 30 that it had analyzed the caffeine content of 113 decaffeinated coffee beverages sold at cafes and decaffeinated drinks distributed at retail stores and online markets in the province from March to November last year. The results showed that the caffeine content was less than 10% of that found in regular beverages.

The analysis revealed that the average caffeine content per product sold at cafes was as follows: manufactured beverages (coffee) 18.59 mg/L, roasted beans and capsule coffee 0.44 mg/g, instant coffee 1.48 mg/g, blended coffee (coffee mix) 0.11 mg/g, liquid coffee 19.19 mg/L, and infusion teas (green tea and black tea bags) 0.94 mg/g.

This is less than 10% of the average caffeine content in regular beverages, such as manufactured drinks without a "decaffeinated" label (329.8 mg/L) and roasted coffee (13.07 mg/g), as announced by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety.

Under the current Enforcement Rules of the Act on Labeling and Advertising of Foods, products containing more than 90% of caffeine removed from tea and coffee may be labeled as decaffeinated (decaf).

An official from the Gyeonggi-do Institute of Health and Environment stated, "In Korea, caffeine labeling is only required for liquid foods containing 0.15 mg or more of caffeine per 1 mL, and both 'high caffeine content' and the total caffeine amount must be indicated. For products labeled as decaffeinated (decaf), more than 90% of the caffeine has been removed, but trace amounts may remain. Therefore, people who are sensitive to caffeine should exercise caution when selecting such products."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.