Storesto ban High-caffeine drinks sales to under 16s
A STRING of supermarkets is to ban sales of high-caffeine energy drinks to children under 16.
Asda, Aldi, the Co-op, Lidl, Morrisons, Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Waitrose said customers buying drinks containing more than 150mg of caffeine per litre would be asked to prove they are over 16 years of age.
The move follows calls by campaigners for a complete ban on the sale of energy drinks to children following findings that their sugar and caffeine content remains high despite reformulation ahead of the soft drinks levy.
The British Soft Drinks Asso- ciation introduced a voluntary code of practice in 2010 stating that high-caffeine soft drinks should not be promoted or marketed to those under 16.
Drinks such as Red Bull, Relentless, Monster Energy and Rockstar have become increasingly popular.
Last month, campaign group Action on Sugar (AoS) found that typical serving sizes of energy drinks were larger than other sugar-sweetened drinks at an “excessive” 500ml.
Youngsters in the UK are among the highest consumers of energy drinks in Europe, figures have shown.
Graham MacGregor, professor of cardiovascular medicine and AoS chairman, said described the drinks as “completely inappropriate” for children to consume and said they should be banned for under16s.
Simon Moore, Waitrose director of technical and corporate social responsibility, said: “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.”
Andrew Murray, Asda’s chief customer officer, said: “We take our responsibilities as a retailer seriously and work hard to ensure we get the balance right between offering choice and doing the right thing.
“We have listened to our customers and want to take a leading position in this area to support parents and teachers in limiting young peoples’ access to high caffeine drinks.”
Judith Batchelar, director of Sainsbury’s Brand, said: “We take our responsibilities as a retailer very seriously and have a strong track record in helping our customers to live healthier lives.
“While our own brand highcaffeine energy drinks are clearly labelled as not suitable for children, we’re now committing to preventing the sale of these products to under 16s.”
Oliver King, managing director of corporate responsibility at Aldi, said: “We are introducing this age restriction in response to growing concern about the consumption of energy drinks among young people.”