A man died after drinking a protein shake with a teaspoon of pure caffeine powder.
Camera IconA man died after drinking a protein shake with a teaspoon of pure caffeine powder. Credit: Supplied/Getty Images/500px Plus

Rules tightened for high-caffeine products

AAPWestern Suburbs Weekly

PURE and highly concentrated caffeine products are now classified as risk food in Australia, and anyone trying to import them for retail sale could face up to 10 years in jail.

The federal government has tightened Australian food regulations following the death of a NSW man from caffeine toxicity in 2018.

Lachlan Foote, 21, died on New Year’s Day, 2018 after drinking a protein shake with a teaspoon of pure caffeine powder.

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His father Nigel Foote said his son had “innocently” added too much pure caffeine powder.

Caffeine powder will be banned from sale in Australia and New Zealand “because in its pure form it can be lethal in quantities as small as one teaspoonful”.

Bans will apply to products where caffeine concentration is five per cent or more in solid foods, and one per cent or more in liquid foods.

“This is a significant dose at which the risk of serious health effects start to increase and should not be available for retail sale–let alone be allowed into Australia,” Agriculture Minister Bridget McKenzie said.

Ms McKenzie said the ban would not affect products like coffee, energy or cola drinks, which had much lower concentrations.

This amendment does not affect the import of commercial quantities by manufacturers for use as ingredients in these types of products.

In another regulatory change, the quantity of food shipments considered to be for private consumption has been reduced from 10kg to 1kg.