Waitrose bans sale of high-caffeine energy drinks to under-16s
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Waitrose is to ban the sale of high-caffeine energy drinks to children aged under 16.
The supermarket said customers buying drinks containing more than 150mg of caffeine per litre would be asked to prove their age from 5 March.
The move follows concerns over the impact of the high sugar and caffeine content on children.
Teachers' union NASUWT said one in 10 teachers cited energy drinks as a key cause of poor pupil behaviour.
Waitrose said its decision was based on existing industry labelling guidelines, requiring any soft drink with more than 150mg of caffeine per litre to carry a high-caffeine content warning and state it is not recommended for children.
Waitrose director of technical and corporate social responsibility Simon Moore said: "As a responsible retailer we want to sell these products in line with the labelling guidance.
"These drinks carry advice stating that they are not recommended for children, so we're choosing to proactively act on that guidance, particularly given the widespread concerns which have been raised about these drinks when consumed by under 16s."
UK youngsters are among the highest consumers of energy drinks in Europe, according to researchers from Fuse, the Centre for Translational Research in Public Health, who in December urged the government to restrict their sale to under-16s.
'Responsible step'
The move has been welcomed by health and education groups who have previously campaigned about the effects high-caffeine energy drinks can have on children.
Last month, campaign group Action on Sugar found that typical serving sizes of energy drinks contained an "excessive" 500ml of sugar and were "completely inappropriate" for children to consume.
The NASUWT, which has previously called for schools to ban energy drinks, said Waitrose had taken a "positive and responsible step" but called on the government to issue independent research into the long-term effects of energy-drink use by children.
General secretary Chris Keates said: "These drinks are readily available legal highs and are leading to children and young people consuming high levels of stimulants, with little known about the long-term health impacts.
"Teachers are left to deal with the effects these stimulants have on pupil behaviour.
"There is a chronic lack of awareness about the effects of these drinks which many pupils and parents think are just another soft drink."
