Energy Drinks To Be Banned For Under 16s

The authorities is readying a caller rule successful England to extremity anyone nether nan property of 16 buying power drinks specified arsenic Red Bull, Monster and Prime from shops, restaurants, cafes, vending machines and online.

Up to a third of UK children are thought to devour these types of drinks each week, contempt astir supermarkets having already introduced a voluntary ban.

Some celebrated drinks incorporate much caffeine than 2 cups of coffee.

Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting said he was acting connected nan concerns of parents and teachers and tackling nan rumor "head on", to protect young people's health.

Lower-caffeine soft drinks, specified Diet Coke, are not affected, and neither are beverage and coffee.

A consultation will now tally for 12 weeks to stitchery grounds from wellness and acquisition experts arsenic good arsenic nan nationalist and retailers and manufacturers.

TV cook Jamie Oliver has repeatedly warned of nan dangers and disruption power drinks tin cause, pinch kids coming into schoolhouse "bouncing disconnected nan walls" having had power drinks for breakfast.

"We are talking astir three, 4 shots of espresso successful 1 of these things. Loads of sugar. So an absolute nightmare," he said successful a video posted connected X past year.

Excessive depletion is linked to headaches and slumber problems.

Too overmuch caffeine tin origin a accelerated bosom rate, abnormal bosom rhythms and seizures too.

Although rare, location person been immoderate deaths linked to excess caffeine.

Under existent labelling rules, immoderate drink, different than beverage aliases coffee, pinch complete 150mg of caffeine per litre requires a informing explanation saying: "High caffeine content. Not recommended for children aliases pregnant aliases breast-feeding women."

Young group person smaller bodies and their brains are still developing, which tin make them much delicate to caffeine, opportunity experts.

For astir adults, up to 400mg of caffeine a day, aliases astir 4 cups of instant java aliases 5 cups of tea, is safe.

"By preventing shops from trading these drinks to kids, we're helping build nan foundations for healthier and happier generations to come," said Mr Streeting.

Prof Steve Turner, president of nan Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, said a prohibition was nan "next logical step" successful making children's diets much healthy.

And Prof Amelia Lake from Teesside University, who has studied nan drinks' effect connected young people's lives, said they had "no place" successful nan diets of children.

"Our investigation has shown nan important intelligence and beingness wellness consequences of children drinking power drinks.

"We cognize these drinks are portion of younker civilization and associated pinch sports, gaming, euphony and more, but location is simply a deficiency of clear signalling astir their wellness consequences."

But Gavin Partington from nan British Soft Drinks Association said manufacturers had already led nan measurement pinch aforesaid regulation.

"As pinch each authorities policy, it's basal that immoderate forthcoming regularisation is based connected a rigorous appraisal of nan grounds that's available," he added.

Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales are besides considering a ban.