# Please Clarify Canadian Laws About Caffeine In Soda **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 8, 2012, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-clarify-canadian-laws-about-caffeine-in-soda/640304 "2012-11-08T00:17:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2012, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-clarify-canadian-laws-about-caffeine-in-soda/640304/1 "2012-11-08T00:17:57Z")
This past weekend, I gave a can of diet Dew to a man from Ontario. He said “I forgot that in this country, Dew has caffeine in it.” He then explained that Canadian law said- I can’t remember. I need more information and turn to the Dope. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2012, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-clarify-canadian-laws-about-caffeine-in-soda/640304/2 "2012-11-08T00:22:24Z")
As I understand it, the law is that caffeine can’t be added to things that don’t have it naturally. So coffee and tea, for instance, are fine, but caffeinated Dew isn’t. I’m not sure where colas fit in: I think they might have a loophole. ---
**Author:** ![mrpayday](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e57/32.png) [@mrpayday](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mrpayday)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2012, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-clarify-canadian-laws-about-caffeine-in-soda/640304/3 "2012-11-08T00:25:27Z")
It apparently changed in 2010, caffeine is now allowed in non cola drinks. [http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/securit/addit/caf/caf-ccsd-cbg-faq-eng.php](http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/securit/addit/caf/caf-ccsd-cbg-faq-eng.php) ---
**Author:** ![chrisk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@chrisk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chrisk)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2012, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-clarify-canadian-laws-about-caffeine-in-soda/640304/4 "2012-11-08T00:30:05Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > As I understand it, the law is that caffeine can’t be added to things that don’t have it naturally. So coffee and tea, for instance, are fine, but caffeinated Dew isn’t. I’m not sure where colas fit in: I think they might have a loophole. I think it might have been just that cola was ‘grandfathered in’ because its use in cola was established and taken for granted before the laws were established, but other types of soda drink typically hadn’t been caffeinated, so caffeinated Dew was outlawed. WAG. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2012, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-clarify-canadian-laws-about-caffeine-in-soda/640304/5 "2012-11-08T02:00:51Z")
so if it’s not ‘do the dew’ with some speedy activity, is it ‘enjoy a dew’ with someone in a hammock? ---
**Author:** ![Alley\_Dweller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alley_dweller/32/430_2.png) [@Alley\_Dweller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alley_Dweller)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2012, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-clarify-canadian-laws-about-caffeine-in-soda/640304/6 "2012-11-08T02:04:47Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > As I understand it, the law is that caffeine can’t be added to things that don’t have it naturally. So coffee and tea, for instance, are fine, but caffeinated Dew isn’t. I’m not sure where colas fit in: I think they might have a loophole. [The cola nut naturally contains caffeine](http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-supplements/ingredientmono-937-COLA%20NUT.aspx?activeIngredientId=937&activeIngredientName=COLA%20NUT), although caffeine is added to cola drinks. ---
**Author:** ![ZenBeam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/3ab097/32.png) [@ZenBeam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZenBeam)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2012, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-clarify-canadian-laws-about-caffeine-in-soda/640304/7 "2012-11-08T02:17:16Z")
This doesn’t make sense to me. Mountain Dew is a man-made product. How can it “naturally” have caffeine or not? That would be like saying it doesn’t “naturally” have citrus flavor, so it can’t have flavor. ---
**Author:** ![C6541](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/90db22/32.png) [@C6541](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C6541)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2012, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-clarify-canadian-laws-about-caffeine-in-soda/640304/8 "2012-11-08T02:39:00Z")
> [@ZenBeam](#): > > This doesn’t make sense to me. Mountain Dew is a man-made product. How can it “naturally” have caffeine or not? That would be like saying it doesn’t “naturally” have citrus flavor, so it can’t have flavor. Well considering the caffeine is extracted from the kola nut I would imagine that would fufill the definition of “natural”. Off-topic, I never got why, considering we are animals, that thinks we make are not natural but things bees make or plants synthesize are. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2012, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-clarify-canadian-laws-about-caffeine-in-soda/640304/9 "2012-11-08T04:16:31Z")
> [@](#): > > The cola nut naturally contains caffeine, although caffeine is added to cola drinks. I’m not sure that’s relevant, though, since cola drinks are made with only trace amounts of cola nut, if that. There’s certainly not enough to account for the caffeine of Coke or Pepsi-- That mostly comes from coffee or tea that’s been decaffeinated. ---
**Author:** ![madrabbitwoman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c37758/32.png) [@madrabbitwoman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madrabbitwoman)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2012, 9:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-clarify-canadian-laws-about-caffeine-in-soda/640304/10 "2012-11-08T09:21:45Z")
Aussie here. I had thought we had some type of similar law but I recently saw a Mountain Dew with something like "Now With ADDED Caffeine! So maybe not any more. ---
**Author:** ![Speaker\_for\_the\_Dead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c77e96/32.png) [@Speaker\_for\_the\_Dead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Speaker_for_the_Dead)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2012, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-clarify-canadian-laws-about-caffeine-in-soda/640304/11 "2012-11-08T15:47:02Z")
Sadly, this did recently change, and my evening diet pop of choice (Mountain Dew) no longer serves that function! :’( ---
**Author:** ![Kinthalis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kinthalis/32/16084_2.png) [@Kinthalis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kinthalis)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2012, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-clarify-canadian-laws-about-caffeine-in-soda/640304/12 "2012-11-08T16:15:39Z")
> [@Speaker\_for\_the\_Dead](#): > > Sadly, this did recently change, and my evening diet pop of choice (Mountain Dew) no longer serves that function! 😢 Count your blessings. That stuff is loaded with sugar. It’ll save you thousands in dentist bills and keep you healthier. ---
**Author:** ![Fish\_Cheer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fish_cheer/32/17179_2.png) [@Fish\_Cheer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fish_Cheer)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2012, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-clarify-canadian-laws-about-caffeine-in-soda/640304/13 "2012-11-08T16:17:12Z")
He said diet pop.