Fact check: Has the EU branded coffee 'harmful' for humans?
Some tabloids have stoked fears that the EU will soon ban coffee after the European Commission allegedly labelled caffeine dangerous for human consumption.
READ MORE : http://www.euronews.com/2025/03/10/fact-check-has-the-eu-branded-coffee-harmful-for-humans
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Some tabloids have stoked fears that the EU will soon ban coffee after the European Commission allegedly labelled caffeine dangerous for human consumption.
READ MORE : http://www.euronews.com/2025/03/10/fact-check-has-the-eu-branded-coffee-harmful-for-humans
Subscribe to our channel. Euronews is available on Dailymotion in 12 languages
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NewsTranscript
00:00Has the EU branded coffee harmful for humans?
00:07News reports and viral social posts are claiming that the EU has labelled coffee
00:11as dangerous for humans. Headlines such as this one accuse meddling Brussels bureaucrats
00:17of declaring coffee unsafe, while others lead with the line that the EU has labelled coffee
00:22harmful to humans if swallowed, stoking fears of a coffee ban around the block.
00:26This one outright says that the EU has banned caffeine and attempts to explain why.
00:32The articles vaguely refer to a report on using caffeine in pesticides,
00:36without providing any links or official names. But what has the EU actually said?
00:41Is coffee on its way out? An internet search of key terms
00:44eventually leads us to an October 2024 decision by the European Commission,
00:49responding to an application by French company Pogar to use caffeine as a pesticide for cabbage,
00:54potatoes and other crops. The Commission ultimately decided not to let the company
00:59use caffeine as a basic pesticide substance, based on scientific evidence from the European
01:04Food Safety Authority. It said in the decision that caffeine is harmful to humans if swallowed,
01:10noting that it has adverse effects on the cardiovascular system and can cause sleep
01:14deprivation and anxiety. However, it's misleading to say that this means the EU has labelled coffee
01:20as harmful to humans because it's referring to high doses of pure caffeine rather than your cup
01:25of morning brew. The EFSA's caffeine fact sheet says that there's about 90mg of caffeine in an
01:31average cup of filter coffee, 80 in an espresso and 50 in a black tea, and that an intake of
01:36400mg throughout the day doesn't raise safety concerns for the healthy adult general population.
01:42So, despite the misleading headlines, the EU isn't banning caffeine in drinks
01:47and your coffee dates, or afternoon tea if you prefer, are safe.