Functional foods are filling an increasingly important part of our lifestyle, as we look to products enhanced with particular ingredients to get us through the day. But do consumers really know what they are dicing with? Hugh Westbrook looked at the use of one ingredient, guarana, to see whether people can safely trust its promised effects and to examine whether the information that comes with products is really accurate.
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Guarana hails from a South American plant and its use in food and drink products is said to enhance energy and mental awareness. Many manufacturers who use guarana as an ingredient stress that it contains guaranine, which is said to be similar to caffeine but not the same. The differences in guaranine mean that consuming it can give the same effect as caffeine but without some of the jittery side effects associated with caffeine. But is the situation as straightforward as this?
The basic answer is no, because from a chemical point of view, guaranine and caffeine are exactly the same. The difference is in the way in which they are chemically ‘packaged’ in the basic food. One expert told just-food.com that the presence of polyphenols in guarana means that the caffeine in guarana is released more slowly than in coffee, meaning that the jittery effect often associated with drinking coffee is not apparent because of the more gentle way in which the body absorbs the caffeine. This is very different from marketing spin which suggests that guarana is gentler than coffee because guaranine is in some way different from caffeine.
The danger of the unknown
From a basic point of view, consumers may not realise that the two are the same. In the UK, Cadbury has been heavily pushing Boost Guarana, a chocolate bar enhanced with guarana to help give consumers energy. The original press release said: “Guarana is a berry that grows specifically in Venezuela and northern Brazil. The seeds of the berry contain guaranine, which has a similar stimulant effect to caffeine.” Of course it has a similar effect, it is the same.
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By GlobalDataOnly from further questioning of Cadbury can we be sure that the company knows that guaranine and caffeine are the same. Spokesman Tony Bilsborough told just-food.com: “Scientific reports have maintained that the presence of other components in guarana, not just caffeine, give a more gentle effect on the body than just purely caffeine. Guarana also contains stimulants such as theobromine, found in cocoa, and theophylline which is the equivalent stimulant found in tea.” All fine and accurate, but somewhat different to the claim in the press release.
So given that guarana contains caffeine, how careful do consumers have to be? The answer is very, if they have a susceptibility to caffeine or are in a group, such as pregnant women or children, who should avoid caffeine.
The lack of understanding of guarana has caused problems internationally. Cadbury Australia New Zealand was criticised for launching the Viking bar with guarana without sufficient warning, with children being unaware of what they were eating. Two years ago in Western Australia, a woman with a caffeine susceptibility died after drinking guarana drinks, unaware of what she was consuming. In Canada, there have been reports of companies circumventing caffeine laws by putting guarana in their drinks instead.
Is labelling the answer?
How does a company prevent people who should not buy the products from buying them? In the case of Boost Guarana, there is a warning label on the back, but this may not prevent a child from picking up the attractively wrapped bar. Bilsborough said that though it is targeted at young males, in his opinion it is not a problem if a child eats one because “a single bar of contains 54mg of caffeine and Government guidelines recommend no more than 300mg of caffeine a day.”
Clearly though there are concerns about guarana. New legislation will make companies that use guarana as an ingredient in drinks more liable for the information they provide. The UK’s Food Standards Agency told just-food.com that new regulations will be coming in later this year. While there will be no upper regulatory limit on caffeine or guarana as an ingredient, if a drink contains more than 150mg of caffeine per litre, it will need to carry a ‘High caffeine content’ declaration – the same will also be true of drinks which contain a similar proportion of guarana. The rules apply to drinks and not food, however. In previous deliberations, the FSA’s Food Advisory Committee has not considered the use of guarana in confectionery.
The FSA added that “In 2001, the independent Committee on Toxicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment (COT) looked at the effects of caffeine on reproduction and concluded that caffeine intakes above 300mg a day (approximately up to five cups of coffee or four cans of caffeine-containing energy drinks) may be associated with low birth weight and, in some cases, miscarriage.”
A need for information
Drinks companies are obviously affected by the changes. Recently launched Extreme Drinks has a line which has guarana as an ingredient. Managing director Tim Day told just-food.com that it was important to be aware of regulations and make people aware of the appropriate information.
He said that his company was already working with the relevant agencies to ensure that appropriate labelling is in place.
Australia is also set to introduce new legislation on the issue. The Australia and New Zealand Food Regulation Ministerial Council recently agreed to restrict the use of non-traditional caffeine-rich ingredients in products so that they do not go above the current limits for caffeine. It also wants further research done and will review the findings in two years’ time.
So what does all this tell us? The basic point seems to be that the issue of functional foods is a long way from being straightforward. Whenever an exotic ingredient is introduced into everyday food products, it is vital that the complete picture is known by both manufacturers and the public. Whenever an ingredient is hailed as the next great thing, there may often be another side. And while ultimately the other side may not be proved to be negative, there is always a need for full information.
