The Minister for Social Rights, Consumer Affairs, Pablo Bustinduy, announced today, Wednesday, that the government will implement regulations to ban the sale of all energy drinks to minors under the age of 16. He stated that there is scientific evidence that energy drinks have become a ‘threat’ to young people’s health. The ministry also plans to extend the ban to minors under the age of 18 in the case of drinks containing more than 32mg of caffeine per 100ml.
‘What the Ministry of Consumer Affairs is announcing today is its firm intention to push this regulation forward. We will do so using the most effective legal instrument, which can be implemented as soon as possible,’ said Bustinduy, who also assured that there is broad social consensus on the issue.
The government will seek to ensure ‘that the protection of the health of children and adolescents is protected and takes precedence over the economic interests of a very powerful industry, which should not take precedence over the protection of the well-being and health of children.’
The regulation will add to the ban on the sale of energy drinks in schools throughout Spain and is in line with measures adopted by countries such as Germany, Norway, Latvia, Poland, Hungary and Lithuania, as well as initiatives by regions such as Galicia and Asturias.
According to the latest barometer published by the Spanish Food Safety and Nutrition Agency (AESAN) last week, 9 out of 10 people in Spain agree with the ban, an opinion that is also shared by the majority of respondents aged between 18 and 35 (88.3%).
The survey also shows that 25% of respondents consume energy drinks - on average, twice a week - that almost half (49%) of those who drink them do so at least once a day, and that 47% regularly mix them with alcohol.