LONDON — In England, 16-year-olds can down a pint in a pub, if having a meal in adult company. But under a new government proposal, it would be illegal for them to buy an energy drink like Red Bull at the corner store.
A government statement on the proposal said that two-thirds of children ages 10 to 17, and a quarter of those from 6 to 9, consumed energy drinks. And it cited concerns including childhood obesity and the effects of caffeine and sugar on behavior in school.
“Childhood obesity is one of the greatest health challenges this country faces, and that’s why we are taking significant action to reduce the amounts of sugar consumed by young people and to help families make healthier choices,” Prime Minister Theresa May said in the statement.
The measure would apply only to retailers in England; other parts of Britain have the power to set their own rules. In a 12-week comment period that started on Thursday, the public is being asked whether restrictions should apply until 16 or 18, and whether the law should be changed to stop children buying energy drinks in any situation.
Many supermarkets and other major retailers in Britain already decline to sell energy drinks to children. But they remain readily available from smaller stores and vending machines, and some brands are sold for as little as a pound, about $1.30.
The government said that one 250-milliliter can of energy drink often contained around 80 milligrams of caffeine — the equivalent of a cup of coffee or nearly three cans of cola — and up to 60 percent more sugar on average than regular soft drinks. It said excessive consumption among children had been linked to headaches, sleep problems, stomach aches and hyperactivity.
The plan would ban the sale to children of energy drinks that contain more than 150 milligrams of caffeine per liter.
“Our plans to tackle obesity are already world-leading, but we recognize much more needs to be done and as part of our long-term plan for the N.H.S., we are putting a renewed focus on the prevention of ill health,” Mrs. May added.
Steve Brine, the public health minister, said in the statement that British children consumed 50 percent more energy drinks than other European countries, adding that teachers “have made worrying links between energy drinks and poor behavior in the classroom.”
Chris Keates, the general secretary of N.A.S.U.W.T., a British teachers’ union, referred to the drinks in a statement as “readily available legal highs” that led to unruly behavior in schools.
Health experts in Britain also welcomed the proposal.
“There is no evidence that energy drinks have any nutritional value or place in the diet of children and young people,” Professor Russell Viner, president of the Royal College of Pediatrics and Child Health, said in an email.
“It’s therefore worrying that so many young people are buying these drinks at low prices and consuming them on a regular basis,” he added. “The growing market for energy drinks and potential for harm to children and young people clearly warrants further scrutiny.”
Energy Drinks Europe, a trade body, argued in a statement that energy drinks’ caffeine content was similar to that of coffee and that their sugar content was comparable to that of juices and conventional soft drinks.
“For all ages, there are much greater contributors of caffeine and sugar in the diet than energy drinks,” a spokesman for the group said in the statement. “A sales ban on energy drinks is therefore arbitrary, discriminatory and not effective.”
Source : Nytimes
