Leisure centres ban selling energy drinks to youngsters
Young teenagers will no longer be able to buy high-energy drinks at leisure centres in Renfrewshire.
Community Leisure UK, the umbrella body for more than 85 per cent of Scotland’s publicly funded leisure and cultural facilities has worked with the Scottish Government to introduce the restriction.
And Renfrewshire Leisure confirmed to the Paisley Daily Express they would be supporting the move to stop selling the high-energy drinks to young people under the age of 16.
The restriction will apply to soft drinks with an added caffeine content of more than 150mg per litre.
A spokesperson for Renfrewshire Leisure said:“We support the Scottish Government guidelines on not selling high-energy drinks to young people under the age of 16.
“We will review all our refreshment and vending outlets to make sure these high caffeine drinks are not sold at our facilities in line with the guidelines.”
In May, the Scottish Government announced a ban on high-energy drinks to under 16s in hospital retail units. This move was matched by all NHS-run catering sites.
Public Health Minister Joe FitzPatrick said:“I welcome the leadership shown by all publiclyfunded leisure centres in restricting the sale of energy drinks to young people.
“This builds on our recent ban of energy drinks to under 16s in all hospital retail units and NHS-run catering sites.
“The Scottish Government recognises that consumption of energy drinks is a significant concern to parents, healthcare professionals and young people.
“This ban delivers on the promise we made in our Diet and Healthy Weight Delivery Plan last year and we have committed to a consultation on restricting the sale of energy drinks to under 16s later this year.”
Kirsty Cumming, Community Leisure UK engagement and policy manager for Scotland, added:“After working closely with our members and colleagues at Scottish Government, Community Leisure UK is delighted that all members in Scotland have chosen to ban the sale of energy drinks to young people under 16.
“This is an important step in protecting the health of young people across Scotland.”