Spain to ban sale of energy drinks to under 16s

“It has been scientifically proven that these energy drinks pose a risk to the health of young people,” the minister said.

According to his statement, the upcoming decree would extend the restriction to young people under 18 in the case of drinks that contain 32 contain more than 100 milligrams of caffeine per 100 milliliters.

The Spanish government, he said, wants this ban to be “introduced as soon as possible“, but did not set a target date.

According to the minister, there is “very broad consensus” on the harmful effects of energy drinks on young people’s health, and he recalled a survey published last week by the Spanish Food Safety and Nutrition Agency (AESAN), in which nine out of ten respondents agreed with limiting their sales.

The ministry’s next step is to regulate the advertising of unhealthy foods to children and adolescents.

Pablo Bustinduy said: Every child in Spain sees more than 4,000 unhealthy food advertisements on television every year. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), this high exposure to advertising increases their calorie intake, promotes the consumption of unhealthy and nutritionally poor foods, and thus has a detrimental effect on their health.

“Companies operating in the sector have a duty not to support the consumption of foods and beverages that endanger the right to health of children in our country” – stated the minister, who called the introduction of restrictive measures a public health issue.

He added that other countries, such as Portugal, Norway, the United Kingdom, Ireland and Sweden, have already adopted similar measures.