From The Daily Sceptic

By Will Jones

Coffee is “harmful” to humans, the European Union has said in a regulation banning the use of caffeine as a pesticide, prompting fears of a coffee ban. The Telegraph has the story.

Brussels bureaucrats said there was scientific evidence to back up claims that “caffeine is harmful to humans if swallowed”.

Their report said the substance, a central component of coffee, could cause adverse effects on the heart, hydration and body temperature, as well as triggering anxiety and sleep problems.

There was not sufficient research to judge whether caffeine is a risk for people who work with it or live near where it is processed, it added.

The report was produced to reinforce a decision to ban caffeine from being used to kill snails and slugs around cabbage and potato patches.

But it has prompted fears that Brussels regulations could one day target coffee, a staple of the European way of life.

Anders Vistisen, a Danish MEP and chief whip of Patriots for Europe said: “More unwelcome and needless inference from meddling bureaucrats in Brussels!

“What is this all leading to? Are they seriously going to eventually force us to drink decaffeinated coffee? It’s becoming ridiculous.

“Nobody thinks smoking and whiskey are good for you, but they add pleasure to many people’s lives,” he added.

Worth reading in full.