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A quick look at a cola label will tell you exactly how much sugar is in a can of pop – about 41 milligrams. Now, one brand is 'fessing up about how much caffeine you're drinking along with it.

The Canadian division of PepsiCo announced yesterday it will voluntarily redesign the packaging on its beverages, including Pepsi, Pepsi Max and Lipton Iced Tea, to include the caffeine count. “It's all in the vein of being more transparent with consumers,” says Cheryl Radisa, vice-president of marketing for PepsiCo brands in Mississauga. “We get a lot of consumer calls regarding the ingredients of our products, and caffeine is one that's becoming of more interest.”

Until now, consumers have been able to find out the caffeine content of Pepsi products on the company's website and by calling its consumer service line. The new labelling, already on U.S. products, will roll out by the end of this year on all Lipton brands sold in Canada. The new Pepsi labels will be undertaken as part of a major redesign to be completed mid-2009, Ms. Radisa says.

Those who lobby for increased product-labelling transparency applaud the move. At the same time, some marketing experts suggest that instead of driving customers away from their products, the caffeine information may have the opposite effect. And while the caffeine level in a can of Pepsi (38 milligrams) is much lower than in coffee (180 milligrams in an average cup of Starbucks coffee), and squeak in under Health Canada's recommended maximum intake for children aged 4 to 6, some observers say the move may alert parents to just how much caffeine their soda-loving children are chugging each day.

Observers agreed that the more detailed labelling may make it easier for consumers to gauge just how much caffeine they – and their children – are ingesting.

“This is an excellent and positive response from Pepsi,” says Vancouver-based Bruce Cran, president of the Consumers' Association of Canada, which lobbies the government for complete product labelling, including disclosure of genetically modified ingredients and a food's country of origin.

“We know from polling that consumers want as much information as they can possibly get,” Mr. Cran says. “At the moment we get very little. This action by Pepsi may lead to others doing it on a voluntary basis.”

Getting out ahead of others is good for the brand, says David Dunne, a marketing professor at the University of Toronto's Rotman School of Management. The risk of a loss of sales is balanced by the gains that may come from leading the way, he says.

It also may help Pepsi combat popular notions surrounding caffeine in cola. Because the Pepsi press release included the comparable caffeine content of coffee, Prof. Dunne believes that “what they're trying to do is counter an impression that soft drinks contain as much caffeine as coffee does.”

Still, Pepsi's move to disclose the caffeine content on nutrition labels could also serve as a wake-up call to many parents who don't realize the potential health consequences the drinks could have, according to some dietitians.

Health Canada's current guidelines suggest a maximum caffeine intake of 45 milligrams a day for children aged 4 to 6, just a little over the amount in a single can of Pepsi. For children aged 7 to 9, the maximum suggested level is 62.5 milligrams a day, and for those aged 10 to 12 it's 85 milligrams.

“For kids, watching the amount of caffeine is important because it is going to hit them a lot different than it would an adult,” said Heidi Bates, a registered dietitian in Sherwood Park, Alta.

Sleeping problems, excitability and hyperactivity in children may be linked to consumption of caffeinated beverages, Ms. Bates said.

Seeing the amount spelled out on a nutrition label could be the final straw for parents already wary of the excessive sugar and low nutrition value of the drinks.

“I think it's definitely a problem we're seeing, and definitely we need to get the message out there. It shouldn't be the beverage of choice,” said Jennifer Wojcik, a registered dietitian in Winnipeg.

The problem with pop and other caffeinated beverages is that they have little or no nutritional value and could be replacing other, healthier beverages in the diets of children and adults, Ms. Wojcik said. “There are really no other nutrients involved in that drink.”