Energy drink ban: What adults will need to prove to get their caffeine

Energy drink ban: What adults will need to prove to get their caffeine The Government will be banning the sale of high-caffeine energy drinks to anyone under the age of 16 The Department of Health and Social Care has announced a total ban on selling energy drinks to anyone under the age of 16 from April 2027. But what does this mean for adults trying to get their caffeine fix? Currently, a number of supermarkets and stores already have voluntarily put a policy in place that prevents energy drinks from being sold to people under a certain age. This usually involves high-caffeine items being flagged at checkout and shoppers having to provide proof of their age when purchasing it which will likely be the same requirement when the new legislation comes into force. For example, Sainsbury’s Think 25 policy requires staff to check the age of anyone buying restricted products who they believe to be under 25. This includes when shopping online and collecting items. Proof of age accepted by Sainsbury’s include: - Current (within shown expiry date) passports or an equivalent form of identification such as a national identity card with a photo and date of birth (all nationalities) - Current (within shown expiry date) photographic driving licences or provisional licences and date of birth (all nationalities) - N.I. electoral ID cards (accepted in Northern Ireland) - Military IDs with a photo and date of birth (UK only) - Cards with a PASS logo such as Citizen, Connexions, Validate or Young Scot The expansion of policies like this could mean adults will need to ensure they are carrying ID when planning to buy high-caffeine energy drinks. Once the ban comes into force, retailers will be the ones responsible for ensuring the restricted products aren’t sold to under-16s. Local authorities will also be given powers to enforce the ban, including issuing fines of up to £2,500 for businesses that break the law. The legislation is still subject to Parliamentary approval and final details on how it will be enforced are still to be announced. Education Minister, Olivia Bailey, said: “This ban will protect children from high-caffeine energy drinks that undermine their health and focus in the classroom, so they can make the most of all the exciting opportunities ahead of them. “It will go hand in hand with our overhaul of school food for the first time in over a decade, to ensure children across the country have delicious, nutritious food that helps them thrive.” There will be some exceptions to the rule. Business-to-business sales will be excluded, as well tea and coffee sales which do have caffeine. The new rules will apply to other drinks containing more than 150mg of caffeine per litre and will cover all retail settings including: - Shops - Vending machines - Websites - Online The announcement comes after a consultation with over 1,000 respondents. 90% agreed with the proposals to ban energy drink sales for under 16s. Those that disagreed with the proposals were found to mostly be from the vending sector, energy drink manufacturers or trade organisations representing businesses that would be affected by the policy.