Energy drinks should not be sold to children, campaigners say

According to the ITV report published online on December 15th, young people in the UK consume the highest number of energy drinks in Europe. Due to the potential health implications of consuming large amounts of sugar and caffeine, found in energy drinks, campaigners argue that it should be illegal to sell energy drinks to children.

A ban on sales to children, they say, is necessary despite reformulation efforts by industry ahead of the soft drinks levy which will come into force in April 2018.

Energy drinks manufacturers have made steps to reduce the sugar content of their products with some products having a 10% reduction since the SDIL was announced, which is encouraging. However, the sugar levels remain high at approximately 9.5g per 100ml, and this is not helped because the cans are so large with typical serving sizes of 500ml. As a result, consumers are still taking in too much sugar and caffeine- in fact one typical can contains more than an adult’s recommended daily intake of sugar, and 78% of products contain more than the recommended amount of sugar for a child of 7-10 years. This information was gathered in a study by the campaign group Action on Sugar and was published in the journal BMJ open.

Campaigners argue that as a result of the above, further reductions in sugar and caffeine content, as well as reductions in serving sizes are needed in order to prevent further harm to consumers. Campaigners also state that the research conducted by AoS highlights the large contribution that energy drinks make to sugar intake, and due to the health implications associated such as obesity, cancer and dental problems, energy drinks need to be altered further and a ban must be put in place for under-16s.

However, as expected, there is industry opposition for such drastic reformulations and bans. The British Soft Drink Association (SDA) reports that energy drinks are safe, and have been deemed so by regulatory authorities. The SDA also argues that they have acted responsibly, having introduced a voluntary code to not promote or market their products to those under 16, having ensured that all lines have lower sugar varieties, and that they ensure that all their products have an advisory note which states that energy drinks are not recommended for children. These actions, they argue, show that the industry is behaving in a socially responsible way, and that there is no need for more drastic legal action.