Officials in Brussels have been accused of trying to create a “nanny state” after suggesting that caffeine is “harmful to humans”.
The European Union has introduced regulations banning the use of caffeine in a garden pesticide, suggesting that science backs the view that it is “harmful to humans if swallowed”.
A report on the new measures said caffeine – a stimulant found in coffee, tea, chocolate and other food and drink – can cause anxiety, sleep problems and adverse effects on the heart, body temperature and hydration.
The EU’s European Commission said there was not sufficient research to show whether working or living near places where caffeine is processed also poses a danger to human health.
While the report was linked to a ban on caffeine in a pesticide targeting slugs and snails in the vegetable patch, its strong language has sparked fears that the 27-country bloc could introduce a more wide-ranging ban on caffeine products in the future.
Anders Vistisen, a Danish MEP and chief whip of the far-right group Patriots for Europe, said the document signalled “more unwelcome and needless interference from meddling bureaucrats in Brussels”.
“What is all this leading to? Are they seriously going to eventually force us to drink decaffeinated coffee? It’s becoming ridiculous,” he told The Telegraph.
“Nobody thinks smoking and whiskey are good for you, but they add pleasure to people’s lives,” Mr Vistisen added.
Commentators on social media were similarly critical of the designation of caffeine as a “harmful” substance.
“The EU has lost the plot,” one exasperated person wrote, while another said: “The only thing harmful for humans, as I see it, are EU regulations.”
“Haven’t they got anything better to do?” another X user asked, while a fourth said: “It’s things like this that make it hard to take Europe seriously.”
It follows EU bans on food colourings and compounds including titanium dioxide and coumarin, which forced food producers to change their recipes as a result.
The regulations meant Danish pastries had to be reclassified as a traditional food in 2014 to avoid the bloc’s clampdown on coumarin, a compound found in cinnamon that can be toxic in high doses.
