Local shops ban sale of energy drinks for under 16s

Wednesday 07 March 2018

Local shops have followed the example of their UK counterparts and banned the sale of energy drinks to under 16s in a bid to reduce their consumption of caffeinated drinks.

The ban introduced by Waitrose and the Co-Op this week applies to products containing more than 150mg of caffeine per litre.

Both shops will be asking customers wishing to purchase such drinks to prove their age.

The move builds on existing industry labelling guidelines, which require any soft drink with more than 150 mg of caffeine per litre to carry a high caffeine content warning and state it is not recommended for children. It follows a decision from several UK supermarkets including branches of Asda, Aldi, the Co-op, Lidl, Morrisons, Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Waitrose, to ban the sale of drinks such as Red Bull, Monster Energy and others to children under 16. 

While the restriction on the sale of energy drinks is not compulsory for retailers, the CI Co-op, in consultation with the UK Group, decided to implement it. Mark Cox, Chief Operating Officer of the Co-op, said: "There is growing concern about the consumption of energy drinks amongst young people and, after consultation with UK Co-op Group, we recognise that we must act. It’s a balance between offering choice and doing the right thing, so the decision was taken to play a role in limiting young people’s access to high caffeine drinks."

Pictured: Consuming large amounts of caffeine increases the risk of heart palpitations, agitation, tremors and stomach upset.

Simon Moore, Waitrose Director of Technical & Corporate Social Responsibility, commented: “As a responsible retailer we want to sell these products in line with the labelling guidance. These drinks carry advice stating that they are not recommended for children, so we’re choosing to proactively act on that guidance, particularly given the widespread concerns which have been raised about these drinks when consumed by under 16s.”

Sandpiper, which operate a range of franchise food businesses with various partners, will also adopt their brand standards locally. Over the next 12 months, the group is due to converting their stores to Morrisons and will put appropriate checks in place. In the meantime, they are waiting for decisions from their other franchise partners, including Iceland and M&S in Jersey to see what their stance is on this issue.

According to a school survey data only 30% of 10-11-year-olds drink high energy drinks in Jersey. However, a greater proportion, 42%, of children aged 14 or 15 drink energy drinks up to three days a week.

Pictured: The maximum daily recommendation for sugar intake for a child aged seven to ten years is 24g, equivalent to six teaspoons.

Martin Knight, the Director of Public Health Policy explained that consuming large amounts of caffeine increases the risk of heart palpitations, agitation, tremors and stomach upset. Other common side-effects of such drinks include jitteriness, nervousness, dizziness, a lack of focus, difficulty concentrating, and insomnia.

For the Health Services, the amount of sugar that many energy drinks contain is also of concern. Too much sugar is harmful and can increase the risk of many health conditions such as diabetes, and heart disease. The maximum daily recommendation for sugar intake for a child aged seven to ten years is 24g, equivalent to six teaspoons. Some leading brands have over 17 teaspoons of sugar in a single can and energy drink portion sizes are typically larger than standard fizzy drink cans.

Mr Knight said: “Energy drinks are potentially harmful to the health of children and young people in Jersey while offering no beneficial nutrients. They therefore have no place in a healthy balanced diet. We fully support any local retailer who responsibly chooses not to sell these products to under 16 year olds.”