Labour vows to ban under-16s from buying energy drinks including Prime, Monster and Red Bull saying high-caffeine products are ‘driving a crisis in children’s health’
Under-16s will be banned from buying high-caffeine energy drinks such as Prime, Red Bull and Monster if Labor comes to power, with a senior frontbencher saying they are ‘causing a crisis in children’s health’.
The party said it plans to ban the sale of drinks containing more than 150 mg of caffeine per liter to minors if it comes to power on July 4.
Red Bull has 80mg of caffeine in a 250ml can, which equates to 320mg/l, while brands like Prime, Monster and Rockstar have similar or higher rates.
Shadow Health Minister Wes Streeting said BBC Radio 4’s Today program said the restriction was in response to ‘outrage from parents and teachers who see the impact of these high-energy drinks on children’s concentration, wellbeing, sleep and mental health’.
He added: ‘The reason why we are much more interventionist when it comes to children is because we can see how irresponsible sales and marketing are creating a crisis in children’s health.’
Several energy drinks available for purchase in UK stores contain more than double the caffeine content of an average cup of coffee (80mg).
Shadow Health Secretary Wes Streeting told BBC Radio 4’s Today program that the restriction was in response to “outrage from parents and teachers who are seeing the impact of these high-energy drinks on concentration, their wellbeing, their sleep and their mental health of children’.
Sir Keir Starmer said such sales were ‘not justifiable or acceptable’, adding: ‘We will put an end to it. I will always make the tough decisions necessary to keep our children healthy.”
The party says it expects that soft drinks such as Coca-Cola will fall below the limit for caffeine per liter, but a 500 ml can of Monster Energy would exceed this.
National trading standards would be expected to enforce the policy.
Mr Street work said: ‘Rishi Sunak is too weak to stand up to his party and protect the health of children. He collapsed in the face of opposition from his MPs and sacrificed his historic Smoking Bill.
‘The Tories have stood idly by as children went to school with the equivalent of three shots of espresso from these toxic drinks. It stops them sleeping, damages their mental health, how on earth can we expect children to learn with that in their system?
‘It’s time for change. Labor will end the sale of energy drinks with dangerously high caffeine levels, provide 100,000 more dental appointments for children and support for mental health services in every school.”
Energy drinks, including Rockstar, PRIME and Monster, all contain between 160 and 200mg of caffeine per 500ml – double the amount found in an average cup of coffee, which is around 80mg.
The drinks also contain more than four times as much caffeine as an average 330ml can of Coke – a drink known to be best enjoyed in moderation.
PRIME, which is promoted by YouTubers Logan Paul And KSIhas become a global sensation since its launch in 2022. The hype surrounding PRIME products on social media led to the product quickly selling out in supermarkets, leading to huge queues, rules on how much each customer could buy, scuffles in the aisles, bottle sales for as much as £100, and robberies and near-riots in stores amid the global madness.
However, the popular energy drink has been accused of encouraging children to make unhealthy choices.
