Will Those Under 16 Be Banned From Buying Energy Drinks in the UK? Considering Age Restrictions on Energy Drink Purchases

In the UK, major supermarkets and convenience stores have decided to implement age restrictions on energy drink purchases. It seems likely that those under 16 will effectively be unable to purchase energy drinks in the UK.

UK Energy Drink Purchase Restrictions

• Supermarkets independently ban energy drink sales to those under 16
• Age verification will be conducted at the time of purchase
• Supermarkets involved include Boots, Asda, Waitrose, Tesco, Co-op, Aldi, Lidl, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons, and others
• Targeted products include energy drinks with more than 150mg of caffeine per liter
• Implementation will begin at each store from March 2018

Based on my experience as an energy drink traveler, visiting stores across London, even if only these supermarkets and convenience stores implement the age restrictions, it seems almost all retail stores in the city will follow suit, and those under 16 will not be able to purchase energy drinks.

The three must-visit supermarkets for drink enthusiasts are not listed here, but I believe they will likely join this trend. (See my London hunting experience here.)

Most Energy Drinks Will Be Affected

The regulation in the UK, which targets energy drinks with more than 150mg of caffeine per liter, will affect almost all energy drinks.

For example, a 250ml can of Red Bull contains 80mg of caffeine, so it equates to 320mg per liter. Other brands like Monster and Rockstar, which contain 160mg of caffeine in a 500ml can, also exceed the limit.

Cheap energy drink brands such as BOOST, EMERGE, and KX, which contain 75mg of caffeine per 250ml, will also be affected by the regulation. Though most people likely aren't interested in these non-mainstream brands.

The 150mg caffeine per liter standard is quite strict. If this regulation were to apply to other high-caffeine beverages like coffee, people might not be able to buy those either. However, it seems the regulation applies only to energy drinks.

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Current Impact on Energy Drink Enthusiasts is Minimal

This regulation is not being implemented by law, but rather by major retailers in the UK deciding to enforce age verification and sales restrictions.

Since this only affects those under 16, it doesn’t directly impact UK residents or, more specifically, Japanese people. I don't think middle schoolers would be traveling to the UK alone for energy drink hunting, so I don’t expect this news to significantly affect most energy drink enthusiasts.

However, this could lead to further regulations, such as restrictions on advertising, which may harm the public perception of energy drinks.

Personally, I’m Not Opposed to Age Restrictions

When converted to a 1L equivalent, coffee can sometimes contain more caffeine than energy drinks (60mg per 100mL, according to the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare), so I think it's questionable that only energy drinks are being singled out as particularly dangerous.

That said, energy drinks tend to have a flavor profile that appeals to kids, and there’s a tendency to overconsume them, which makes energy drinks a more concerning option.

I believe it’s not good for children, whose bodies are still developing, to consume a lot of caffeine. Personally, I support this age restriction by retailers if it can prevent accidents. However, I think it would be more effective to raise the age limit to under 18, as restricting only those under 16 doesn’t seem to have much of an impact.

(See news from 2014 about Lithuania's ban on energy drink sales to those under 18 here)

However, it's unclear how many under-16s are actually consuming energy drinks in large quantities, and given the age demographic that buys energy drinks, the chosen age restriction feels somewhat symbolic. This type of light regulation may be adopted in other EU countries as well.

*By the way, caffeine content across the US, UK (and other EU countries), and Japan isn’t significantly different, and in some cases, Japan contains higher caffeine content. It's also important to note that it is highly unlikely for someone to die from energy drinks alone. Learn more about energy drinks and caffeine addiction here.

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