Parliament directs inquiry on level of caffeine in local energy drinks

The Parliamentary Committee on Trade, Tourism and Industry has directed the Uganda National Bureau of Standards (UNBS) and National Drug Authority (NDA) to investigate all energy drinks especially the popular komubucha to ascertain the levels of caffeine and adulteration.

While meeting the officials from UNBS, NDA and Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) on Friday, 26 November 2021 on non-conformity to standards of health and energy drinks, the committee chaired by Mwine Mpaka, the MP for Mbarara City South Division, called for a forensic investigation.

“We are going to request you to verify and have all the energy drinks tested. We also want all those komubucha drinks to be tested for their caffeine levels and if any is adulterated,” Mpaka said.

For purposes of neutrality, Mpaka said that the committee will also take the samples to an independent internationally recognised laboratory to do further tests to ensure that neither UNBS nor NDA compromises the results.

“So we shall then compare the findings of NDA, UNBS and the independent laboratory and if the results are varying then we are going to be in trouble. So you cannot change these results. Go and do the exact thing and give us exact results,” he said.

According to Dennis Mwesigwa, the Senior Inspector of Drugs at NDA, they recently collected and analysed samples of six out of the 11 energy drinks from the market to assess the sample for caffeine and conventional aphrodisiacs (Sildenafil, Vardenafil and Tadalafil) as requested by the committee.

“The analysis has revealed that only one product (Rock Boom) out of the 11 products that was found to have a caffeine content of 39.46mg/100ml, which exceeds the allowable limit under the standard as well as the content desired on the product label,” Mwesigwa told the committee.

“There was no detectable adulteration of sildenafil, vardenafil and tadalafil in all the samples tested. These aphrodisiacs contain components that stimulate sexual desire,” he added.

Under Uganda Standard US 47:2011, where caffeine is used as a flavouring agent, the amount of caffeine in the drink should not exceed 200mg/kg and where caffeine is used as a functional agent such as energy drinks, the amount of caffeine in the drink should not exceed 320mg/kg.

Apparently, there is no provision for caffeine limits in komubucha drinks, an issue that worried the MPs on the committee who demanded that caffeine limits as per the UNBS standard should apply to all drinks on the market including komubuchas.

“The standard that was locally developed for komubucha was recent (2019) and the perimeters discussed at that time did not include caffeine because the ingredients used in these products have natural amounts of caffeine. So this was not looked into as an issue. However, if it is seen as an issue to be considered then it shall be done so,” said Patricia Ejalu, the UNBS Deputy Executive Director.

The committee is also concerned about the misleading adverts that are being published by manufacturers of some energy drinks disguising their products as curative health products that can cure ailments like cancer.

“We wrote to all our certified komubucha and energy drink producers and asked each of them to submit their adverts to ensure their labels and products are meeting the standards. We have given them a deadline of 30th November to comply. We intend to review this and have a meeting with NDA and UCC on 12th December on the way forward,” Ejalu said.

The committee further warned companies that are producing these drinks against breaching the law that standardises their operations to avoid health hazards to the consumers.

The National Drug Policy Act and Regulations bar any company from making any publication or advertisement for drugs without the approval of the authority.