(1) Reasons for Proposal

This Act aims to prepare labeling requirements for the caffeine content of any food cooked and sold by rest restaurants, general restaurants, and bakery businesses to prevent any side effect related to caffeine, while improving and supplementing some shortcomings observed in the operation of the current system, such as revising “no added sugar” in line with international standards to provide the correct information to consumers.

(2) Major Provisions

A. Create labeling requirements for any food cooked and sold by rest restaurants, general restaurants, and bakery businesses (Ⅱ.5)

1) Provide information to prevent too much consumption of caffeine through coffee and tea cooked and sold in coffee shops.

2) Prepare the basis that recommends labeling for consumer safety in any food cooked and sold by rest restaurants, general restaurants, and bakery businesses under the Enforcement Rule of the Act on Labeling and Advertising of Foods.

3) Establish standards to label or indicate the total caffeine content and whether it is high caffeine in any high caffeine coffee or tea cooked and sold by rest restaurants, general restaurants, and bakery businesses.

4) Prevent any side effect from consuming too much caffeine by providing more information to consumers.

B. Create “no added sugar” and “sugar free” criteria (attached Form 1 1. h. 3) c))

1) Unfair Food Labeling or Advertising Standards state that “no added sugar” means no use of any sugar (sum of monosaccharides and disaccharides), and Labeling Requirements for Food, etc., allow the use of “sugar free” if applicable requirements are met. 

2) By contrast, the Codex Alimentarius, Europe, the US, and Japan use “no added sugar” depending on whether any sugar is added during food production, which makes it necessary to align with international standards.

3) Create “no added sugar” and “sugar free” criteria to provide the correct information to consumers in line with international standards.