Teachers call for ban on sale of ‘legal high’ drinks to pupils

TEACHERS are calling for a ban on the sale of energy drinks to under 16s, because they contain huge amounts of sugar and caffeine and can cause headaches and palpitations.

The NASUWT, one of Britain’s largest teaching unions, described the drinks as ‘readily available legal highs’ which can trigger bad behaviour in the classroom and schoolyard.

It comes after researchers at Fuse, the Centre for Translational Research in Public Health, based at Teesside University, found that energy drinks were being sold to children for less money than water or fizzy drinks.

Research by Fuse found one in three young people say that they regularly consume energy drinks, which are often sold in promotions of four for £1.

A single 500ml can contains around 160mg of caffeine, while the European Food Safety Authority recommends an intake of no more than 105mg caffeine per day for an average 11-year-old.

Darren Northcott, NASUWT national official for education, said: “Teachers have registered concerns with the NASUWT about the contribution of high energy drinks to poor pupil behaviour as a result of pupils consuming excessive quantities of these drinks.”

On average, young people in the UK consume more energy drinks than any other European country. Sales of energy drinks in the UK increased by 185pc between 2006 and 2015, with 672 million litres drunk in 2015 and a total market value of over £2billion.

Dr Amelia Lake, Fuse associate director, dietitian and reader in public health nutrition at Teesside University, said: “Schools have tried restricting these drinks – now it’s time to try and do something more central… a government solution is needed.”