Well known decaf manufacturers in Europe such as Coffein Compagnie and Demus say there has been relatively little change in consumption of decaffeinated coffee in Europe and the US but note that demand in Asia, in countries such as China, Korea, Singapore and Japan is growing, albeit from a small base. They also note that proposed legislation in Europe could help drive demand in future.
Jens Eckhoff, one of Coffein Compagnie’s managing directors, said that one potential driver of demand in Europe is the European Food Safety Agency (EFSA) consultation on caffeine consumption levels. The consultation is being driven not by concerns about consumption of coffee but the growing number of products such as energy drinks that make use of caffeine. The European Coffee Federation and decaffeinators argue that it is not possible to enforce an upper intake level for caffeine, but a level of 400mg per day has been mooted. Were greater awareness of caffeine intake to become common among consumers, said Mr Eckhoff, so demand for decaf could grow.
Nearly 70 representatives from EU member states, consumer organisations, industry bodies and the European Commission met recently to exchange views with EFSA and its experts on the authority’s draft risk assessment of caffeine. The meeting was organised as part of EFSA’s public consultation on the document, which closed on 15 March. EFSA scientists explained the scope, methodology and main conclusions of the assessment before giving the floor to speakers from the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment, the UK Food Standards Agency, the European Consumers’ Association, European Coffee Federation, FoodDrinkEurope and Energy Drinks Europe. The rest of the meeting, which was held in Brussels, was devoted to sessions on: adverse effects of caffeine after a single dose and after repeated doses consumed within a day; adverse effects of long-term consumption of caffeine on the central nervous system and the cardiovascular system; and adverse effects of long-term consumption on pregnancy outcomes.
The draft risk assessment of caffeine is on the agenda for the next meeting of EFSA’s Panel on dietetic products, nutrition and allergies, which is open to the public and was due to be held in Leuven, Belgium, 23-24 April.
Max Fabian at Demus told C&CI that in his view the single serve market is also good news for decaf because capsules and pods enable provide consumers with access to a source of high quality coffees in a convenient format.
