The British Retail Consortium (BRC), which represents UK retailers, has welcomed the call for a public consultation on the sale of energy drinks to children.
Commenting on the matter, Andrea Martinez-Inchausti, deputy director for food policy at the British Retail Consortium said, “This follows the lead of the major retailers, who have already put voluntary controls in place.
"Legislation will ensure a consistent and comprehensive approach to preventing sales to children.”
Asda, Waitrose and Aldi are among the retailers in the UK that have already banned the sale of drinks with a high-caffeine content to under-16s, in response to EU labelling requirements.
Examining The Issue
Yesterday, the British government announced a public consultation on the issue, which will examine what products should be included in any proposed restrictions on energy drinks, what age limit a ban should apply to, whether sales of energy drinks in vending machines should be restricted, and whether there are other measures that either are more appropriate than a ban or could be applied as well as a ban.
'We are hearing strong calls from parents, health professionals, teachers and some industry bodies and retailers for an end to sales of high-caffeine energy drinks to children,' the government said in a statement.
'While we recognise the efforts of retailers who have already acted, there are still many retailers who continue to sell these drinks to children.'
ESM examined this issue in more detail earlier this year, with our editorial E is for Energy Drinks.
© 2018 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Stephen Wynne-Jones. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: European Supermarket Magazine.
