Children under 16 in England will be prevented from buying high-caffeine energy drinks from April under new government rules, ministers have said. From that date, drinks containing more than 150mg of caffeine per litre will be illegal to sell to children and younger teenagers in shops, restaurants, cafés, vending machines and online.

What the ban will cover

The restriction applies only to higher-caffeine drinks above the 150mg threshold. Lower-caffeine soft drinks, such as Diet Coke, would not be covered, and the rules would not extend to tea and coffee.

Several widely sold energy drink brands would fall above the limit, the government said, including Red Bull, Monster, Relentless and Prime.

Ministers said the legislation is intended to reduce consumption by children and younger teenagers, rather than placing additional controls on products for adults.

Why ministers say the change is needed

The government said the measures are aimed at tackling obesity and reducing potential health harms linked to energy drinks, including disrupted sleep, increased anxiety and difficulties with concentration and school performance.

Public Health Minister Sharon Hodgson said the ban showed the government’s commitment to improving children’s health. She said the proposal had originally been put forward last year.

The government also cited concerns raised by experts about caffeine effects on young people, noting that children can be more sensitive because they have smaller bodies and because their brains are still developing.

It said around 100,000 children in England consume energy drinks every day, and that the drinks can affect pupils’ ability to focus at school. It added that some popular products contain more caffeine than two cups of coffee or four cans of cola.

The government also highlighted potential risks associated with excessive caffeine intake, including headaches and sleep problems, as well as reports of more serious effects such as a rapid heart rate, abnormal heart rhythms and seizures. It said deaths linked to excessive caffeine have been reported, although they are rare.

Enforcement and consultation

The ban is subject to parliamentary approval and will be introduced through secondary legislation using powers from the Food Safety Act 1990.

Local authorities will enforce the rules, and businesses that break the law could face fines of up to £2,500.

The government said the decision followed a consultation that received 1,100 responses, with strong support for introducing an age limit.

At present, drinks (other than tea or coffee) with more than 150mg of caffeine must carry a label warning that they are not recommended for children or for pregnant or breast-feeding women.

Ministers also referenced advice for adults, saying that for most people up to 400mg of caffeine a day is considered safe, which they equated to about four cups of instant coffee or five cups of tea.

Reactions and wider UK approach

Katharine Jenner, executive director of the Obesity Health Alliance, welcomed the policy and said restricting sales to children at a “vital time” was common sense.

The British Soft Drinks Association said the ban was unnecessary. A spokesperson said that since 2010 its members have agreed not to market or promote energy drinks to under-16s and that high-caffeine beverages carry a “not recommended for children” label.

The government said a previous Conservative administration had planned a similar restriction but abandoned it in 2022, and that it had argued consumption should be a personal choice.

Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales are also considering bans.

Join the discussion?

17 July 2026

View full article

What ID checks are they going to use to enforce this?

8 minutes ago, scottiejohn said:

What ID checks are they going to use to enforce this?

You'll need your digital ID to buy them.

They aren't helping kids, they're oppressing adults.

I'm fairly sure everything like this is to force digital ID onto everyone, and everything in the UK will be monitored and controlled. Wages, bank accounts, shopping, passports, housing all connected to digital ID and cancelled at the press of an unapproved tweet.

Edited July 17Jul 17 by BritManToo

More nanny state nonsense.

2 hours ago, BritManToo said:

You'll need your digital ID to buy them.

They aren't helping kids, they're oppressing adults.

I'm fairly sure everything like this is to force digital ID onto everyone, and everything in the UK will be monitored and controlled. Wages, bank accounts, shopping, passports, housing all connected to digital ID and cancelled at the press of an unapproved tweet.

Exactly.

Digital ID linked to your bank account. Cash no longer accepted. They can track everything you buy, eat, drink, watch on the internet etc.

Then will come the social credit scores based on that information. "Purchase declined fatso, you've had 10 beers, 2 Red Bulls, 3 processed meals and watched 3 hours of OnlyFans this week". 😄

Brave new world.

Restore UK would scrap digital ID by the way. Aim high, Vote Lowe.

2 hours ago, BritManToo said:

You'll need your digital ID to buy them.

They aren't helping kids, they're oppressing adults.

I'm fairly sure everything like this is to force digital ID onto everyone, and everything in the UK will be monitored and controlled. Wages, bank accounts, shopping, passports, housing all connected to digital ID and cancelled at the press of an unapproved tweet.

It remains to be seen how "draconian" the Digital ID system will become.

In the meantime, no need for excessive fear-mongering.

Regarding the energy drinks, they do have a combination of very high caffeine and very high sugar, which may cause a massive spike followed by a massive CRASH.

It is possible that they are banning them for genuine reasons.

I never experimented with energy drinks, so I'm not sure.

Just now, save the frogs said:

I never experimented with energy drinks, so I'm not sure.

I tried them when I was doing time trial trail running (M2, Red Bull, etc) and cycling.

And a pal tried it with me at the same time

They did nothing at all for either of us

Just now, BritManToo said:

I tried them when I was doing time trial trail running (M2, Red Bull, etc) and cycling.

And a pal tried it with me at the same time

They did nothing at all for either of us

So you are immune to high doses of caffeine and sugar crashes?

One by one the thoughts of the younger generation that they have a choice is taken from them until the end result is they will accept the dystopian state Without question.

the Long-term nanny states ramifications are just horrendous.
No electric bikes, no social media and now no drinks of choice and they don't even realise that they are being manipulated and those of us that could see it are in no position to do anything about it other than vote

2 hours ago, wombat said:

One by one the thoughts of the younger generation that they have a choice is taken from them until the end result is they will accept the dystopian state Without question.

the Long-term nanny states ramifications are just horrendous.
No electric bikes, no social media and now no drinks of choice and they don't even realise that they are being manipulated and those of us that could see it are in no position to do anything about it other than vote

Totally agree. This is the result of overpaid, underworked, ideallogically driven, unelected bureaucrats in a bloated public service. Only they know what is good for us.

6 hours ago, save the frogs said:

It remains to be seen how "draconian" the Digital ID system will become.

In the meantime, no need for excessive fear-mongering.

Once they have brought in the Digital ID it will be too late..hence the need for

'excessive fear-mongering' , which it isn't by the way, now before it's too late trapped in the digital panopticon there will be no way out.

10 hours ago, scottiejohn said:

What ID checks are they going to use to enforce this?

7 hours ago, JonnyF said:

Exactly.

Digital ID linked to your bank account. Cash no longer accepted. They can track everything you buy, eat, drink, watch on the internet etc.

Then will come the social credit scores based on that information. "Purchase declined fatso, you've had 10 beers, 2 Red Bulls, 3 processed meals and watched 3 hours of OnlyFans this week". 😄

Brave new world.

Restore UK would scrap digital ID by the way. Aim high, Vote Lowe.

7 hours ago, save the frogs said:

It remains to be seen how "draconian" the Digital ID system will become.

In the meantime, no need for excessive fear-mongering.

CBDC spending tokens (as the only legal 'money') are IMPOSSIBLE without Digital ID's so it makes sense tat Digital IDs are the priority everywhere

Fizzy drinks aren't on the list but below is the conspiracy theorists' assumed list of 'their' (elite families') aims.
I didn't write it but it's interesting to map current reality to:

The people who are convinced the government are going to coral their lives and strip them of basic human rights are the sane people baying for the UK to leave the European Convention on Human Rights.

In a stunning display of cognitive dissonance they would have us believe membership of the ECHR is unnecessary, that British Government’s will protect their rights.

What a ridiculous ban. Governments doing silly things to act like they care and some actually believe it. How about banning Coke, Pepsi or any drink that has over 50 calories per 200ml. Now that would have an impact on the under 16 demographic. Maybe a tax 100% tax on these types of products would be a better idea. Don't like taxes but in this case they create the right incentive.

Edited July 17Jul 17 by atpeace

45 minutes ago, Tourist2 said:

CBDC spending tokens (as the only legal 'money') are IMPOSSIBLE without Digital ID's so it makes sense tat Digital IDs are the priority everywhere

Fizzy drinks aren't on the list but below is the conspiracy theorists' assumed list of 'their' (elite families') aims.
I didn't write it but it's interesting to map current reality to:

One world govt = no more wars, but it will likely never happen anyway.

Universal basic income = no choice due to AI, it could be very positive if implemented fairly. No need for work, no more drudgery, you can take on jobs you like, more free time, but people may need to give up the hope of getting rich ... it may not be as easy to amass wealth. But products may also get cheaper due to automation.

Abolition of the family institution makes no sense.

Most people send their kids to public schools, which are already govt controlled. Many private schools are scams.

Regarding car ownership, many people from younger generations are not as obsessed with owning a car. Work from home + UBI (no work at all) + Robotaxis = less need to own a car. It will be cheaper to pay a monthly subscription for a robotaxi and I personally am looking forward to robotaxis.

If you're convinced that govts are plotting and scheming to make your life increasingingly worse, then that's how you will interpret everything.

1 hour ago, save the frogs said:

If you're convinced that govts are plotting and scheming to make your life increasingingly worse, then that's how you will interpret everything

it's way above governmentt level as per my post.
And there almosr already IS a one world govt: If you are smart enough to realise Covid was a complete scam / nothingburger you might wonder why most governments acted in 'Lockstep'.
If you know about freemasonery u could ask yourself why Iran's parliament building is a triangle shape with 33 windows on it.

Western govts (esp Donald Trump's right now) are working overtime to DE-moralise their populations - IT's OBVIOUS).
But WHY?:
Once the tipping point arrives and the majority are de-moralised (ie. have no morals) the state will have the excuse to be rational in it’s treatment of it’s immoral subjects.

It’s only rational to put complete controls on people - they need to be controlled.

They are immoral after all.

We'll probably eventually get to the starge where they’re not really human either, esp if they choose to get cyborged & chipped up so no need for human rights.

There’s a big Book which deals with all this but we’re obvs all too advanced, rational & smart to read or need it.

Topical on the demoralisation of my England:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cx43pXhQJxI

Who really runs the world?:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9PSM3hpsaU&pp=ygUVc2ltb24gZGl4b24gd2hvIHJ1bGVz

Edited July 17Jul 17 by Tourist2

Just rename this drinks to what they really are “High Calorie, high sugar drinks” and the problem will sort itself out naturally.