Waitrose bans sale of energy drinks to children under 16

CHILDREN under 16 are to be banned from buying high-caffeine energy drinks at Waitrose.

It follows warnings from teachers that the drinks fuel disruptive behaviour and risk taking.

The leading supermarket’s ban applies to energy drinks containing more than 150mg of caffeine per litre. These drinks carry health warnings which read: ‘High caffeine content. Not recommended for children or pregnant or breastfeeding women or persons sensitive to caffeine.’

However, the warning is not legally enforceable and most retailers sell high caffeine drinks such as Red Bull or Monster Energy to all ages without restriction.

On average, young people in the UK consume more energy drinks than those in other European countries. Energy drinks sales in the UK increased by 185 per cent from 2006 to 2015, with 672million litres drunk in 2015.

Waitrose will now impose its own ban, with any customer who appears to be under 16 asked to provide proof of age. The move, which comes into effect in March, will put pressure on other retailers to follow suit.

The chain’s director of technical and corporate social responsibility, Simon Moore, 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.’

Last month, teachers called for a ban on sale of the drinks to under16s because they contain huge amounts of caffeine and sugar.

The NASUWT, one of Britain’s largest teaching unions, described the drinks as ‘readily available legal highs’ that can trigger bad behaviour in classrooms and on playgrounds. Darren Northcott, of NASUWT, said teachers had registered concern at the effects of the ‘excessive quantities’ being drunk. He added: ‘Young people and parents are often not aware of the very high levels of stimulants that these drinks contain.’

Researchers at Fuse, a public health research centre at Teesside University, found children were able to buy the drinks for less money than water or pop. They found packs are often sold in promotions of four for £1 and one in three young people said they regularly consume energy drinks.

The British Soft Drinks Association, which represents manufacturers, said its voluntary code of practice included guidelines on marketing energy drinks in schools. It added: ‘Energy drinks and their ingredients have been deemed safe by regulatory authorities around the world.’

‘Readily available legal highs’