Did you know that many fruit-flavored sodas – including carbonated lemonade – are caffeinated? Here’s the scoop on caffeine and soft drinks…
How much caffeine may a soft drink contain? The U.S. Food and Drug Administration limits soft drinks to no more than 71 mg of caffeine per 12-ounce serving, or .02 percent. (For comparison, a cup of coffee contains about 100 mg of caffeine.)
Are cola drinks the only soft drinks to contain caffeine? No. Any soft drink may add caffeine. Caffeinated non-colas include Sunkist Orange Soda, Sunkist Sparkling Lemonade, Sun Drop Citrus Soda, A&W Cream Soda, and Mountain Dew. Diet and flavored varieties often contain caffeine, or more of it, than a soda’s regular version.
Are soft drinks required to list caffeine in their ingredients? Soft drinks are not required by the FDA to list caffeine, but many brands now do so voluntarily. For more on caffeine labeling requirements, buzz over to Chapter 5.
Where does the caffeine in soft drinks come from? When coffee and tea are decaffeinated, the extracted caffeine is used in soft drinks, painkillers, and other products. Synthetic caffeine is also used in these products.
Fun Stuff: Jump to the next post to see how much caffeine non-colas contain…