By law, caffeine must be listed as an ingredient on
food labels, but the amount of caffeine per serving is
not required to be disclosed. Since caffeine is added to
so many products, it is difficult to the amount of
caffeine in an individual’s diet. Caffeine content of
coffees and teas varies depending on where the plants
were grown and how the beverages are prepared. The
approximate amounts of caffeine is some common
products are:
-coffee, brewed 8 oz: 135 mg
-coffee, decaffeinated, 8 oz: 5 mg
-coffee, espresso, 1 oz: 40 mg
-green tea, brewed, 8 oz: 15 mg
-black tea, brewed, 8 oz: 50 mg
-tea, decaffeinated, 8 oz: 4 mg
-Mountain Dew, 1 can (12 oz): 55 mg
-Coca-Cola Classic, 1 can (12 oz): 34 mg
-Diet Coke: 1 can (12 oz) 45 mg
-Pepsi Cola, 1 can (12 oz): 37 mg
-Sunkist Orange, regular or diet, 1 can (12 oz): 41 mg
-Barq’s Root Beer: 1 can (12 oz): 22 mg
-diet Barq’s Root Beer: 1 can (12 oz): 0 mg
-Sprite, diet or regular: 1 can (12 oz) 0 mg
-7-Up, 1 can (12 ounces): 0 mg
-Red Bull energy drink, 8.5 oz: 80 mg
-Cocaine energy drink, 8.5 oz: 280 mg
-SoBe No Fear energy drink, 8 oz: 80 mg
-Hershey’s SpecialDark chocolate, 1 bar (1.5 oz): 31mg
-Hershey’s Milk Chocolate, 1 bar (1.5 oz): 10 mg
-Excedrin headache tablet, 1: 65 mg
-caffeine tablet, 1: 200 mg
Caffeine is on the United States Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) list of foods generally recognized
as safe (GRAS list). In moderate amounts, caffeine
does not appear to be harmful to humans,
although it is poisonous to dogs, horses, and some
birds. ‘‘Moderate’’ generally means consumption in
the rage of 300–400 mg or 3–4 cups of coffee daily.
Caffeine has not been shown to cause birth defects and
is considered safe in reasonable amounts during pregnancy.
The March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation
recommends that pregnant women limit their caffeine
intake to the equivalent of two cups of coffee per day,
and that women who are having difficulty becoming
pregnant eliminate caffeine from their diet.
