About
Coffee powder is produced from the roasted and ground (or spray/freeze-dried) beans of Coffea arabica or Coffea canephora (robusta) and is used as a beverage base and as a flavouring ingredient in baked goods, confectionery, ice creams, and other food products. Its characteristic taste, aroma, and stimulant properties derive from caffeine, chlorogenic acids, and hundreds of volatile aromatic compounds formed during roasting.
Safety summary
Coffee powder is broadly safe for healthy adults at moderate intake; EFSA's 2015 Scientific Opinion concludes that single caffeine doses up to 200 mg and habitual intake up to 400 mg/day from all sources do not raise safety concerns for healthy adults. Pregnant women are advised to limit total caffeine (including from coffee) to ≤200 mg/day due to risks to foetal health, and children and breastfeeding women are also identified as sensitive subgroups. In 2016 IARC reclassified coffee to Group 3 (not classifiable as to its carcinogenicity), removing the earlier Group 2B designation, though very hot beverages (>65 °C) were separately listed as Group 2A.
Regulatory landscape
| Jurisdiction | Status | Note |
|---|---|---|
| EFSA (European Food Safety Authority) (European Union) | Approved | Coffee is an approved traditional food ingredient in the EU with no novel-food restrictions. The 400 mg/day figure refers to total caffeine from all dietary sources for healthy adults, as established by EFSA NDA Panel (2015); for pregnant/breastfeeding women the threshold is 200 mg/day. Under EU Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011, beverages containing >150 mg/L caffeine must carry a high-caffeine-content label warning and the statement 'Not recommended for children or pregnant or breastfeeding women.'source |
| Food Standards Agency (FSA) / Food Standards Scotland (FSS) (United Kingdom) | Approved | UK FSA guidance aligns with EFSA's 2015 caffeine opinion: single servings no more than 200 mg and total daily intake no more than 400 mg recommended. There is no maximum legal limit for caffeine when used in food supplements, but maximum permitted limits apply under food legislation for specific categories.source |
| FSSAI (Food Safety and Standards Authority of India) (India) | Approved | Regulated under FSS (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Regulations 2011, Regulation 2.10.2. Compositional standards cover green/unroasted coffee, roasted and ground coffee, instant coffee, and decaffeinated coffee. A 2021 FSSAI compliance directive specifies that Coffee-Chicory mixtures must contain not less than 51% coffee by mass and must declare the percentage of each on-pack.source |
Who should approach with care
Research citations
- 1FDA. Enhancing the Regulatory Decision-Making Approval Process for Direct Food Ingredient Technologies — Legal Aspects of the Food Additive Approval Process. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- 2FSSAI. Compliance with Respect to Coffee-Chicory Mixtures (Letter No. RCD-15001/6/2021), 2021. fssai.gov.in
- 3IARC. IARC Monographs Volume 116 — Coffee, Maté, and Very Hot Beverages, 2016. monographs.iarc.who.int
- 4EFSA. Scientific Opinion on the safety of caffeine — EFSA NDA Panel, 2015. efsa.europa.eu
- 5EFSA. EFSA explains risk assessment: Caffeine (Lay Summary), 2015. efsa.europa.eu
- 6FSSAI. Food Safety and Standards (Food Products Standards and Food Additives) Regulations 2011, Chapter 2.10 — Beverages (Tea, Coffee and Chicory), 2011. fssai.gov.in
