Dental News - UK government rejects energy drink ban for children

Dental Tribune UK

Fri. 7. December 2018

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LONDON, UK: After a period of public consultation, advisors to the UK government have concluded that there is insufficient evidence to warrant a ban on the sale of energy drinks to children. While advisors found that energy drink consumption by young people correlated with other risky behaviour, such as alcohol consumption and smoking, they stressed that it is not possible to determine whether a causal link exists.

In August, the UK government launched a public consultation process regarding a potential ban on selling energy drinks to anyone under the age of 16. Research from Fuse, the Centre for Translational Research in Public Health has suggested that UK children under 16 were the highest consumers of energy drinks in this age group in Europe.

These beverages typically contain high amounts of sugar and caffeine and have been linked to a range of health issues, including headaches, insomnia and tooth decay. The high acidity of energy drinks can further exacerbate dental erosion—a condition that affects up to 44 per cent of 15-year-old British children. Several major UK supermarket chains have already ceased selling energy drinks to children under 16 due to the associated health concerns.

In response to the UK government’s decision, the Science and Technology Committee has argued that society’s concerns and evidence from school teachers could justify a ban, which is supported by the British Dental Association (BDA).

“Dentists see the devastating impact energy drinks are having on children's oral health every day,” said BDA Chair Dr Mick Armstrong.

“It is bizarre that we are still having this debate over products that are habit-forming, highly acidic and can come laced with 14 teaspoons of sugar—far more than a can of coke,” he continued.

“No PR blitzes or tokenistic reformulations can distract from the fact that industry cynically views children as a target market for these drinks. If the government is even half serious about prevention, they will take them off the menu.”

The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH), in response to the decision, called on government to increase the price of energy drinks to reduce their appeal. “We welcome the government’s recent focus on child health through the Childhood Obesity Plan and its Prevention Vision and agree that in relation to energy drinks, more research is needed in order to evaluate their full impact to child health,” said Prof. Russell Viner, President of the RCPCH.

“However, we believe that the evidence is already compelling that energy drinks bring no benefits and only harms to children. In the meantime, I call on the government to protect children by bringing in a minimum price for energy drinks, as we know their cheap price tag is a key driver for their purchase and this would make other drinks more affordable and appealing.”

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