Hunt’s ban on energy drink sales to children
KIDS under 18 face a ban on buying caffeine and sugar-laden energy drinks.
Figures show a quarter of six- to nine-year-olds are knocking them back. But teachers say they lead to bad behaviour in class.
Today Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt will announce the planned ban in a raft of measures to halve childhood obesity by 2030.
He will say: “The cost of obesity – both on individual lives and to our NHS – is too great to ignore.”
Epidemic
Asda, Waitrose, Tesco and the Co-op introduced a voluntary ban on selling energy drinks with more than 150mg of caffeine per litre earlier this year.
Mr Hunt’s clampdown would also stop stores from putting sweets at checkouts and including them in buyone-get-one-free offers.
TV ads plugging foods high in fat, sugar or salt would be banned before the 9pm watershed and restaurants, cafes and takeaway dishes would have to include calorie details.
One in three children is overweight or obese by the time they leave primary school, increasing their likelihood of developing diabetes or liver disease.
Duncan Selbie, boss of Public Health England, said: “Reversing this epidemic is possible provided everyone pulls together.
“These bold steps will help turn the tide.”