In a bold move to safeguard young people’s health, the UK government is proposing a new law in England that would ban the sale of energy drinks such as Red Bull, Monster, and Prime to anyone under the age of 16.
The proposed legislation would apply across shops, restaurants, cafes, vending machines, and online platforms, reports BBC
While many supermarkets already follow a voluntary age restriction, research shows that up to one-third of UK children still consume energy drinks every week.
Energy drinks often pack a potent mix of caffeine and sugar, with some containing more caffeine than two cups of coffee in a single can.
Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting said he was acting on the concerns of parents and teachers and tackling the issue "head on", to protect young people's health.
Lower-caffeine soft drinks, such Diet Coke, are not affected, and neither are tea and coffee.
A consultation will now run for 12 weeks to gather evidence from health and education experts as well as the public and retailers and manufacturers.
TV chef Jamie Oliver has repeatedly warned of the dangers and disruption energy drinks can cause, with kids coming into school "bouncing off the walls" having had energy drinks for breakfast.
"We are talking about three, four shots of espresso in one of these things. Loads of sugar. So an absolute nightmare," he said in a video posted on X last year.
Excessive consumption is linked to headaches and sleep problems.
Too much caffeine can cause a rapid heart rate, abnormal heart rhythms and seizures too.
Although rare, there have been some deaths linked to excess caffeine.
Under current labelling rules, any drink, other than tea or coffee, with over 150mg of caffeine per litre requires a warning label saying: "High caffeine content. Not recommended for children or pregnant or breast-feeding women."
Young people have smaller bodies and their brains are still developing, which can make them more sensitive to caffeine, say experts.
For most adults, up to 400mg of caffeine a day, or about four cups of instant coffee or five cups of tea, is safe.
Bd-pratidin English/ ANI
