No place in children's hands: <16s in UK to be banned from buying energy drinks

Summary

Under-16s in England will be banned from buying energy drinks such as Red Bull and Monster because they fuel obesity, cause sleep problems and leave them unable to concentrate.Health experts, teaching unions and dentists welcomed the ban and said it would boost children and young people’s health. It fulfils a pledge Labour included in its manifesto for last year’s general election.“How can we expect children to do well at school if they have the equivalent of a double espresso in their system on a daily basis?”, said Wes Streeting, the health secretary.“Energy drinks might seem harmless but the sleep, concentration and wellbeing of today’s kids are all being impacted, while high sugar versions damage their teeth and contribute to obesity.”Shops, cafes, restaurants and websites will be prohibited from selling energy drinks containing more than 150mg of caffeine per litre to anyone under 16. That will affect drinks such as Red Bull, Monster, Relentless and Prime Energy and force their makers to reformulate their products.For example, a 250ml can of Red Bull contains 80mg of caffeine, the same as one espresso or two cans of cola. Tea, coffee and soft drinks containing lower amounts of caffeine will be unaffected.It is unclear when sales to under-16s – including from vending machines – will become illegal. The ban will be done using secondary legislation under the Food Safety Act 1990.Supermarkets voluntarily stopped selling the drinks to under-16s in 2018. But some smaller convenience stores still allow under-16s to buy them. Drinks containing more than 150mg of caffeine per litre already carry warning labels that they are “not suitable for children”.“High-caffeine energy drinks have no place in children’s hands. This is a common sense, evidence-based step to protect children’s physical, mental and dental health”, said Katharine Jenner, the director of the Obesity Health Alliance.The success of preventing young people buying alcohol and cigarettes showed that age-based...