Consultation on energy drink ban launched

The Government has launched a consultation on banning the sale of high-caffeine energy drinks to under 16s.

Under the proposals, retailers will be stopped from selling the drinks, which have been linked to a range of negative impacts on children’s physical and mental health.

Currently, around 100,000 children consume at least one high caffeine energy drink every day. There is growing evidence linking these drinks to harmful effects on children, including disrupted sleep, increased anxiety, poor concentration and reduced educational outcomes.

Sarah Muckle, our Policy Lead for Children and Young People and Director of Public Health for Essex, said:

“Our children and young people deserve the opportunity to grow up in an environment which nurtures their potential, provides them with easy access to healthy food, drink and activities, and helps them thrive.

“Energy drinks, which are currently made incredibly attractive and affordable to children through targeted advertising and marketing campaigns funded by the industry, are associated with a wide range of physical and mental health issues and so we are very pleased to see the Government acting on its promise to protect children’s health in this way.

“A ban will not only make a huge difference to individual children’s health but will also have the knock-on consequence of enabling our children and young people to take a more active role in their education and their communities – something that will benefit everyone.”