Buying energy drinks under eighteen soon to be banned?
Buying an energy drink at the supermarket? Only if you’re eighteen or older, is what food watchdog Foodwatch (you know, the one behind those misleading products in the supermarket) is advocating. At the moment, two supermarket chains enforce an age limit of fourteen, while at all other chains anyone who wants to can buy such a can (or a half-litre!) – yes, even your seven-year-old niece with her saved-up pocket money. And that’s obviously pretty strange…
Because energy drinks shouldn’t be confused with regular soft drinks: they’re not good for children or adults either, but at least they’re not also packed with caffeine and taurine (on top of enormous amounts of sugar). Paediatricians have sounded the alarm before, as they see energy drinks causing children to end up in the emergency room with heart rhythm disorders. And now the supermarkets finally seem ready to give in.
Only together
But only on the condition that all supermarkets participate. Only Aldi and Lidl currently enforce an age limit of 14, and after lengthy discussions with Foodwatch and the parties involved, most other chains seem open to raising the age limit, provided they aren’t ‘the only ones’. Foodwatch says Albert Heijn, Jumbo and Plus are among those willing to make changes – together, they account for a market share of 90 percent. Now for the rest. Vomar, Dirk, Dekamarkt and Albert Heijn are also calling for new and clear legislation.
Call to action
It is now up to the Ministry of Health to take action. Paediatricians have made it clear for years that these drinks cause restlessness, fatigue and heart rhythm disorders in children and young people, and that selling them indiscriminately to young people is completely irresponsible. The same ministry previously refused (in 2018) to introduce a statutory age limit, so we’re curious to see their response this time.
Read also:
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- 6 things that are too antisocial to eat in public
- These are the funniest products the supermarket should sell
Source: RTL Nieuws
