Industry Supports South Australian Government’s Action On Non-Compliant Energy Drinks
For immediate release
Date: 23 July 2024
SYDNEY: The Australian Beverages Council, Australian Association of Convenience Stores and National Retail Association commend the South Australian Government for its action to remove non-compliant energy drinks from retail shelves across the state.
Australia has some of the strictest regulations around energy drinks in the world, regulated by Standard 2.6.4 of the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code. Under this Standard, energy drinks can contain no more than 32mg of caffeine per 100mL or 80mg in a 250mL container. This is comparable to the amount of caffeine in a cup of instant coffee made with one teaspoon of powder.
Australian Beverages Council CEO, Geoff Parker welcomed today’s news and applauds the South Australian Government and Health officials for their decisive action to remove non-compliant and dangerous products from the shelf.
“The regulations for Australian energy drinks are long standing and are some of the strictest for this product category in the world. Consumers can be assured our members fully comply with Australian regulations.”, said Parker.
Australian Association of Convenience Stores CEO, Theo Foukkare was heartened to see South Australia identifying non-compliant energy drinks that should not be available for sale to consumers in retail outlets. “These efforts need to be replicated in every state and territory to stop non-compliant drink suppliers continuing to push unapproved products into retail environments. Our Retail members have strict processes to ensure that all energy drinks that are available for sale meet the strict Australian guidelines.”
National Retail Association Director of Policy, David Stout welcomed the commitment from South Australian Health officials to educate retailers on identifying non-compliant, imported energy drinks. “Educating retailers to identify non-compliant products is a critical step to assist retailers in supporting the government to help keep Australians safe through the identification and removal of these products from shelves”.