South Korea tightens decaf coffee rules to match caffeine content

South Korea has drawn a much harder line around decaf: starting January 1, 2028, coffee sold as decaffeinated will have to contain 0.1 percent or less of its original caffeine content. For roasters, importers, and café chains, that turns “decaf” from a loose processing claim into a label tied to what is actually left in the cup.

The Ministry of Food and Drug Safety announced the revised labeling standard on May 12, 2026, as part of a broader update to food rules that also tightened labeling for certain collaborative alcoholic beverages. The coffee change is the one drawing the most attention in the trade, because it replaces an older standard that allowed a product to be called decaffeinated if 90 percent or more of the caffeine had been removed. Under the new rule, the label will depend on residual caffeine, not on how efficient the decaffeination process was.

That distinction matters. A bean that started with 200 milligrams of caffeine could still carry 20 milligrams after decaffeination and meet the old percentage-removed standard. Another that began at 100 milligrams could still have 10 milligrams left. Both could have been called decaf before, even though the actual caffeine remaining was materially different. Industry summaries say the new Korean rule measures residual caffeine in coffee beans on a dry-weight basis, which brings the label closer to the consumer expectation that decaf means very little caffeine, not merely less caffeine than before.

That shift could ripple through the supply chain. Local coverage cited Starbucks’ Decaf Americano as an example of a product that could face scrutiny under the new standard, a reminder that the rule reaches beyond packaged beans and into café menus and ready-to-drink coffee. Exporters and importers selling into Korea will likely need tighter laboratory testing, clearer documentation, and more careful packaging language to prove that beans, RTD products, and café beverages all stay within the 0.1 percent threshold.

The move also makes South Korea easier to read for international brands already used to content-based decaf definitions, including in the United States. But it also raises the bar for anyone treating decaf as a marketing shortcut. In Korea, that label will now have to mean what consumers think it means: almost no caffeine, not just less than the original roast.