25p ENERGY DRINKS ON SALE NEAR SCHOOL GATE INVESTIGATES
CANS of energy drinks costing as little as 25p are being flogged near schools – despite industry guidelines saying they should not be marketed to kids.
Teaching unions want schools to ban addictive high-caffeine beverages blamed for causing bad behaviour in class.
NASUWT leader Chris Keates said: “Action is needed to regulate the sale of these drinks, which are effectively readily available legal highs at dinner money prices.”
A single 500ml tin contains 160mg of caffeine, equivalent to around two shots of espresso coffee. Cans carry warnings saying that they are not recommended for children.
The Sunday Mirror found a range of energy drinks at corner shops near primary and high schools in Carshalton, Surrey, all much cheaper than traditional fizzy drinks.
ADDICTIVE
They included Original Energy, costing 30p per 250ml can and containing 80mg of caffeine. Another 250ml tin, Emerge, was priced at 39p and contained 75mg of caffeine.
One top-selling brand, N-Gine Blue, containing an unspecified amount of caffeine, was stocked at Tesco for just 25p for a 250ml can.
Experts want a ban on sales to under-16s, saying the drinks are like drugs.
One teacher said: “I see our pupils every morning necking the stuff. It needs to be tackled on a national level.”
The British Soft Drinks Association introduced a voluntary code of practice in 2010, saying high-caffeine soft drinks should not be marketed to under-16s.
But it says they are “deemed safe by regulatory authorities around the world”.
The Association of Convenience Stores said: “Our guidance is that there is no age restriction. It’s a decision to be made on a store-by-store basis.”
Tesco declined to comment.