The health secretary insists that high caffeine energy drinks should be banned for under-16s in England, saying they impact children’s health and learning.
Wes Streeting told Sky News the policy was part of a Labour manifesto commitment: “The overwhelming majority of parents, 8 in 10, are concerned about this and have urged the government to act.
“The majority of teachers see the impact of children’s learning in the classroom and their concentration. And doctors have warned about the health impacts of these drinks, which are high [in] sugar and can lead to longer-term health problems.
During the wide-ranging interview, he added: “A lot of these kids are necking these drinks, which are the equivalent of four cans of Coke. It does impact on their health, it does impact on their learning, and that’s why this government is acting.”
The government has launched a 12-week consultation and says the proposals would prevent issues such as disrupted sleep, increased anxiety and lack of concentration, as well as poorer school results.
Under the proposals, it would be illegal to sell energy drinks containing more than 150mg of caffeine per litre to anyone under 16 across all retailers, including online, in shops, restaurants, cafes and vending machines.
Tea, coffee and lower-caffeine soft drinks – such as Coca-Cola and Pepsi – are not affected.
But drinks that currently breach the limit and would be part of the ban include Red Bull, Monster, Relentless and Prime. They already carry warnings stating they are not recommended for children.
Major supermarkets have already voluntarily stopped sales of the drinks to youngsters, but the Department of Health said research suggests some smaller convenience stores are still selling them to children.
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Gavin Partington, director general of the British Soft Drinks Association, said firms do not market or promote the drinks to under-16s.
He added: “It’s essential that any forthcoming regulation is based on a rigorous assessment of the evidence that’s available.”
Professor Steve Turner, president of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, said: “There’s no evidence that caffeine or other stimulants in these products offer any nutritional or developmental benefit – in fact, growing research points to serious risks for behaviour and mental health.”
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But the government’s claim that a ban “could prevent obesity in up to 40,000 children” has been described as “scientifically unfounded” by Tom Sanders, professor emeritus of nutrition and dietetics at King’s College London.
While supporting the need to restrict the sales of high caffeine drinks to young people, “most of these drinks are not high in calories,” he said.
“Caffeine certainly does not promote weight gain, and the published scientific evidence is in the opposite direction,” he added.
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A previous consultation in 2018, under the former Conservative administration, received widespread support, but changes were not implemented.
The Welsh government is still evaluating responses to a consultation on a potential ban.
Meanwhile, a consultation by the Scottish government in 2020 decided not to ban the sale of caffeinated energy drinks to children and young people.
It concluded that consumption by children in the UK was “relatively low” despite a sub-group of “high acute users”, but there were “many limitations with the current evidence base”.
