Overview

• Plan would make it illegal to sell these products to under-16s in shops, online, restaurants, cafes and vending machines, excluding tea, coffee and lower-caffeine soft drinks, and covering brands such as Red Bull, Monster, Relentless and Prime.
• Officials cite evidence of disrupted sleep, increased anxiety and poor concentration, with about 100,000 children consuming at least one high-caffeine energy drink daily.
• Ministers say the policy could help prevent obesity in up to 40,000 children, drawing broad support from paediatricians, public-health groups, teachers and dentists.
• The government intends to use secondary legislation under the Food Safety Act 1990 to implement the measure, with the date it becomes unlawful yet to be set.
• Most major supermarkets already restrict sales, but research suggests some smaller convenience stores still sell to children, as industry groups call for evidence-based regulation.