Canadian Food Inspection Agency issues recall of 45 energy drinks

CTV National News: Canada's caffeine deficiency The CFIA is continuing its crackdown on highly caffeinated energy drinks that exceed the legal amount. Jill Machyson explains.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has issued a sweeping recall of 45 energy drinks by brands including 5 Hour, Bob Ross, Monster, Prime and Red Bull because they don't meet Canadian food safety standards.

Specifically, the recall covers caffeinated drinks in cans that don't contain bilingual labelling in French and English. The agency said any product it has approved for the Canadian market will have bilingual labelling, meaning products with unilingual labelling have not been approved.

"The majority of the recalled products were neither manufactured nor intended for sale in Canada, and have been imported by third parties and sold in stores across Canada," a CFIA statement about the recall reads. "Consumers may have also purchased the products online."

The agency also warned some of the recalled drinks don't meet Canadian caffeine content regulations.

The maximum caffeine content allowed in Canada is 180 mg in a single-serving, since high levels of caffeine can have adverse health effects including insomnia, irritability, headaches and nervousness in children, pregnant and breastfeeding people and people who are sensitive to caffeine. Exercising while consuming caffeine can also lead to negative health effects.

The CFIA said consumers should avoid consuming energy drinks that contain more than 180 mg of caffeine per serving and don't have bilingual labelling or cautionary statements, and either throw them out or return them to the location where they were purchased.

A full list of the recalled drinks is available on the CFIA website. Anyone caught selling or distributing the drinks could face fines or prosecution, the agency warned.