How much caffeine is in your decaf? According to Consumer Reports, there might be more than just a trace and in a few cases, much more.
CR shoppers bought brewed decaf from six chain stores, all size small. When the lab analyzed the coffee it found caffeine amounts ranging from the expected 5 mg or less to a whopping 32 mg in one of six cups from Dunkin’ Donuts.
There is no government standard for decaffeinated coffee, but a typical cup of caffeinated contains around 100 mg of caffeine. CR’s decaf shoppers also bought caffeinated from the same locations; the caffeine in those paper cups ranged from 58 mg to just over 280.
More information and a brief slideshow with store-by-store results is here.
{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
Pretty scary stuff for some of us who are extremely caffeine-intolerant!!
There really DOES need to be some sort of standard for this and I was surprised to learn that there is not.
IMO, it is akin to serving something to a diabetic as ’sugar-free’ when it actually is not. The implications are concerning, to say the least.
That is really good to know, actually, because I often drink decaf thinking it will help me be able to sleep at night! I think I’ll just avoid tea and coffee in general after 6 p.m. – esp. now!
Yes, this information really surprised and bothered me when I saw it. I can’t believe it hasn’t gotten much publicity.
Yes it’s pretty shocking to find that foods we find labeled like this are not caffeine free.
How are coffee, tea and colas decaffeinated?
http://recipes.howstuffworks.com/question480.htm
One of the all time top posts on my blog contains a table in the post that’s worth looking at http://thistimethisspace.com/2007/06/09/high-energy-drinks-for-athletes-not-for-kids/
It’s important to know that at this point in time the Food and Drug Administration recommends a maximum caffeine concentration of 65 milligrams per 12 ounce serving of cola beverages.
However, the FDA does not regulate caffeine content of high-energy drinks. It does not mandate that caffeine quantity be specified on labeling for energy drinks and cold coffee beverages.
Energy drinks with brand names such as Cocaine, Red Bull and SoBe No Fear are not included in the FDA regulation that limits caffeine in colas or sodas, Dr. Goldberger and colleagues said in the * March 2006 issue of the Journal of Analytic Toxicology.
Thanks for the info and links, brightfeather.
It is shocking how much caffeine is in those drinks and some soft drinks — Mountain Dew comes to mind. And there’s Jolt Cola, which I never thought would last but I was so wrong.
At least in those cases it’s labeled. The hidden stuff is bothersome.
Scary, scary stuff. Thanks for the great info and the heads up. I agree, it’s the hidden stuff that’s the most disturbing. Like the big energy drink companies boasting that their product contains guarana, which they like to pass off as “a healthy alternative to caffeine”… when really it’s just another source of caffeine (like coffee beans) only it denser in its caffeine concentration than coffee beans are! Frightening. Thanks for a great post.
Chloe Delano´s last blog ..Is ‘Healthy Energy Drink’ an Oxymoron? How One Company is Leading a Revolution
Thanks for your comment, Chloe. Hidden stuff seems to be everywhere. Even before HFCS was in so many products, corn and its byproducts were, making life difficult for those with corn sensitivities and allergies. Who’d have thought they’d have been present in products such as toothpaste and instant coffee? But they were.
Interesting blog you have. Energy drinks seem to be a huge — and growning — segment of the beverge market. I’ve never tried one but I can see how the market is ripe for exploitation. I believe we consumers can never have too much information.