energy drinks aisle

The age restriction on energy drinks is in response to growing concern about the consumption among young people. Aldi and Asda are the latest supermarkets to restrict their sale

Aldi and Asda have become the latest retailers to announce bans on high-caffeine energy drinks to customers under the age of 16.

Aldi said from 1 March, all customers purchasing soft drinks containing more than 150mg of caffeine per litre would have to provide proof of age across its UK and Ireland stores.

“We are introducing this age restriction in response to growing concern about the consumption of energy drinks among young people,” said Aldi corporate responsibility MD Oliver King.

Asda confirmed its move today and said the age restriction would be introduced on 84 products across its stores from 5 March.

From that date, customers wishing to buy the products, either in store or online, would also need to prove their age.

The moves follow the decision by Waitrose to ban the sale to under-16s, also from 5 March, following a campaign led by health body Action on Sugar and celebrity chef Jamie Oliver.

Industry labelling guidelines already require soft drinks with more than 150mg of caffeine per litre to have a high-caffeine content warning stating that it is not recommended for children.

Andrew Murray, Asda chief customer officer said; “We take our responsibilities as a retailer seriously and work hard to ensure we get the balance right between offering choice and doing the right thing. We have listened to our customers and want to take a leading position in this area to support parents and teachers in limiting young people’s access to high-caffeine drinks.”

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