The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has published the results of its fifth annual survey, which plays a vital role in identifying and monitoring emerging food safety risks. Following the results, the FSA, alongside Food Standards Scotland (FSS) and Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), have revised industry guidance on caffeine supplements.  

The Retail Surveillance Sampling programme is targeted at areas of known or potential risk. The survey took place from June to December 2024 and sampled 822 products in total, including those that may be found in a typical basket of food, along with a range of other products. 

Food samples were bought from national supermarkets and smaller independent retailers, with some samples bought online. The samples were tested for undeclared allergens, contaminants, adulteration, inaccurate composition or incorrect labelling.

While most food tested as part of this targeted sampling programme was safe and authentic, the project highlighted some concerns to be investigated further: 

• 83% of the samples of caffeine supplements had unsatisfactory results. The unsatisfactory results related to caffeine content not reflecting that on the label (some had less than stated, some more) and other labelling issues.
• 74% of the samples of bread had unsatisfactory results. Of these, 69% were purchased from small retailers. The majority of the unsatisfactory bread results related to minor labelling issues; however, three samples (out of 35 samples) indicated the presence of undeclared allergens.
• 59% of the bubble tea samples were unsatisfactory. All but one of the unsatisfactory samples had multiple minor labelling issues, most commonly related to nutritional information and the format of the date on the label. 42% of the unsatisfactory samples also had issues related to undeclared and excess use of additives.

The FSA alerted Local Authorities (LAs) about the unsatisfactory results so that they could take appropriate action.  

The samples of bubble tea were found to have several non-compliance issues, including the unauthorised use of certain additives and levels exceeding those permitted in the UK. The FSA informed LAs about these issues, particularly concerning bubble tea products from the far east that contained Konjac (E425). Although Konjac is an approved additive, its use in bubble tea is not authorised due to the potential choking hazard it poses. Where LAs found these non-compliances, they were asked to take appropriate enforcement action, including product withdrawals. 

In response to the results, the FSA, in collaboration with FSS and DHSC, has taken steps to address the potential safety risks linked to caffeine in supplements and has published revised industry advice. The revised advice will further protect consumers and raise awareness of the risks associated with overconsumption of food supplements containing caffeine, including pure caffeine powders.