Goodbye to energy drinks? These countries are banning them for minors

Modern, non-alcoholic energy drinks first hit shelves 40 years ago with the launch of Red Bull - a carbonated concoction of caffeine, taurine, B group vitamins and sugars, based on Thai energy drink Krating Daeng.

What are energy drinks?

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) defines energy drinks (EDs) as “a class of products in liquid form that typically contains caffeine, with or without other added ingredients.” They typically contain large amounts of caffeine, added sugars, other additives, and legal stimulants such as guarana, taurine, and L-carnitine.

These legal stimulants can increase alertness, attention and energy, as well as increasing blood pressure, heart rate and breathing, while consuming too much caffeine can cause a rapid heart rate, abnormal heart rhythms and seizures.

Red Bull and similar energy drinks boomed in the late 90s and turn of the century with new beverages (Monster, Ghost... etc.), new formulas - some with more sugar content, some with less, hitting the market. The drinks are hugely popular with young consumers and the craze shows no sign of slowing down. Last year, the global energy drinks market generated revenues of around $206 billion.

But things are about to change. The UK government is planning to ban the sale of energy drinks to anyone under the age of 16, with excessive consumption linked to various health issues.

Long-term consumption of any drink that is high in caffeine and high in sugar is going to have an impact on the body. Health concerns include cardiovascular problems, nervous system disorders, and the potential for addiction. Headaches, insomnia and related sleep problems are just some of the well known issues among regular consumers.

Which energy drinks could be banned in the UK?

In the United Kingdom, the sale of energy drinks such as Red Bull, Monster and Prime could soon be prohibited for those under the age of 16. Traditional high-sugar soft drinks such as Coca-Cola, Pepsi or Lucozade would not be affected by the ban.

Speaking to Good Morning Britain’s Susanna Reid, Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting explained: “These are high-caffeine energy drinks - Monster, Prime Energy... we’re talking about the equivalent of four cans of coke in one can in terms of caffeine and that’s before we look at sugar and the impact on child obesity. And we’re also talking about children and young people. Because we know, today, lots of kids going back to school, many of them will pop into a newsagent on the way to school, or at lunchtime or on their way home and pick up one of these drinks.

“In terms of the impact on concentration, on behavior in the classroom, on their health and well being, we know that parents are concerned and want us to act - around eight in 10 parents have called for us to do this. Today what we’re doing is a short, sharp consultation - in particular with retailers, because a lot of responsible retailers, some of our big supermarkets are already doing this, so we’ll learn from them about how it’s worked in practice before extending to other retailers. Good for education and learning behavior and keeping the promises we made at the General Election”.

It’s not yet know when these sales. including from vending machines, will become illegal in the UK.

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