MISSISSAUGA, ON, Nov. 10 /CNW/ - Pepsi-QTG Canada announced today it will begin disclosing the amount of caffeine per serving in its carbonated soft drinks and iced tea beverages in Canada. Consumers will begin to see the new declaration below the Nutrition Facts table on labels of Lipton iced tea brands late this year, and on affected carbonated soft drinks beginning in 2009. The declaration will be phased in until all affected brands are converted to the new labels. Caffeine content on Pepsi-QTG Canada's energy drink brands is already disclosed on the label.

"Increasingly consumers want to know more about the foods and beverages they are consuming," said Dale Hooper, Vice President of Marketing, Pepsi-QTG Canada. "By voluntarily declaring caffeine content, we're giving consumers more information, and that's a good thing. We're proud to be the first to take this step."

"This is a very positive step toward consumer awareness, and I congratulate Pepsi-QTG Canada for voluntarily giving consumers this valuable information," said registered dietitian Helene Charlebois, BSc, RD. "Many consumers want to track their caffeine consumption over the course of the day for a variety of reasons, and now it's that much easier for them to be aware of their caffeine intake from the beverages they consume and to make informed choices accordingly. Consumers need more nutrition information if they are to care for their health, and that's what this is giving them. I hope others follow Pepsi's lead.

<< The brands affected and the corresponding caffeine content is as follows: ------------------------------------------------------------------------- CARBONATED SOFT DRINKS CAFFEINE CONTENT PER 355ML ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Pepsi(R) Soft Drink 38 mg ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Diet Pepsi(R) Soft Drink 35 mg ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Diet Pepsi Max(TM) Soft Drink 69 mg ------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7UP(R) Soft Drink 0 mg ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Diet 7UP(R) Soft Drink 0 mg ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mountain Dew(R) Soft Drink 0 mg ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mug(R) Root Beer 0 mg ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Diet Mug(R) Root Beer 0 mg ------------------------------------------------------------------------- ICED TEAS CAFFEINE CONTENT PER 355ML ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lipton(R) PureLeaf(R) Lemon Iced Tea 37 mg ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lipton(R) PureLeaf(R) Green Tea with Honey Iced Tea 30 mg ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lipton(R) Lemon Iced Tea 30 mg ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lipton(R) Diet Lemon Iced Tea 30 mg ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lipton(R) Green Tea with Citrus 17 mg ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lipton(R) Green Tea with Citrus 17 mg ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lipton(R) White Tea with Raspberry 22 mg ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Lipton(R) Brisk(R) Iced Tea 10mg ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Caffeine Levels in Popular Foods & Beverages(x) ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Product Serving Size mg of Caffeine (approx. values) ------------------------------------------------------------------------- oz ml ------------------------------------------------------------------------- (unless otherwise stated) ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Coffee ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Brewed 8 237(1cup) 135 ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Roasted and ground, percolated 8 237 118 ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Roasted and ground, filter drip 8 237 179 ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Roasted and ground, decaffeinated 8 237 3 ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Instant 8 237 76 - 106 ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Instant decaffeinated 8 237 5 ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tea ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Average blend 8 237 43 ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Green 8 237 30 ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Instant 8 237 15 ------------------------------------------------------------------------- leaf or bag 8 237 50 ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Decaffeinated tea 8 237 0 ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Cola Beverages ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Cola beverage, regular 12 355(1 can) 36 - 46 ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Cola beverage, diet 12 355 39 - 50 ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Cocoa Products ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chocolate milk 8 237 8 ------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1 envelope hot-cocoa mix 8 237 5 ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Candy, milk chocolate 1 28g 7 ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Candy, sweet chocolate 1 28g 19 ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Baking chocolate, unsweetened 1 28g 25 - 58 ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chocolate cake 2.8 80g 6 ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chocolate brownies 1.5 42g 10 ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chocolate mousse 3.2 90g 15 ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chocolate pudding 5.1 145g 9 ------------------------------------------------------------------------- (x) Source: Health Canada. Values in table referenced from the following sources: Harland, B.F. 2000.

Caffeine and nutrition. Nutrition 16(7-8):522-526. Shils, et al., 1999. Modern nutrition in health and disease.

9th Edition. Williams and Wilkins. Waverly Company, Baltimore >> Health Canada and Caffeine According to Health Canada, moderate daily caffeine intake at dose levels of 400 mg/day for the average adult is not associated with any adverse effects. Health Canada also recommends that women who are planning to become pregnant, pregnant women and breast-feeding mothers limit their caffeine intake to no more than 300 mg/day.

About Pepsi-QTG Canada Pepsi-QTG Canada, a division of PepsiCo Canada ULC, is a leader in the Canadian beverage industry and markets a variety of beverages under the following trademarks: PEPSI, DIET PEPSI, 7UP, MOUNTAIN DEW, MUG, AQUAFINA, SOBE, LIPTON and BRISK ICED TEAS, STARBUCKS BOTTLED FRAPPUCCINO, GATORADE, DOLE AND TROPICANA.

-0- 11/10/2008 /For further information: Maureen Juniper, Jennifer McCrindle, PraxisPR, (905) 949-8255 ex 226/224, maureen(at)praxispr.ca, mccrindle(at)praxispr.ca/ CO: Pepsi-QTG Canada ST: Ontario IN: FOD SU: PDT -30- CNW 11:16e 10-NOV-08