Caffeine content of sodas no longer secret

How much caffeine is in that soda? Some manufacturers would rather not tell you. I'm not sure why they'd want to keep this a secret, but since a petition to force disclosure of the caffeine content of sodas failed, most have declined to include this information on the label.

Now, nutrition researchers at Auburn University have lifted the veil of secrecy! In a study recently published in the Journal of Food Science, they analyzed the caffeine content of 131 national and store brand sodas. (Thanks to the bloggers at HealthCastle.com for bringing the study to my attention.)

Some of the findings were not what I would have thought. For example, Diet Coke has 25% more caffeine than regular Coke, but Diet Pepsi has less caffeine than regular Pepsi.  Even more surprising, citrus-flavored sodas generally contain more caffeine than colas.  Store brand sodas tend to have less caffeine than national brands.

I agree with the conclusion of the researchers: Because the caffeine content of various soft drinks vary greatly and aren't always what you'd expect, this information should be included on the nutrition label.  (The caffeine content of foods and beverages is also reported as part of Nutrition Data's nutrient analysis reports.)