A number of countries, such as Poland, Latvia, Lithuania and Hungary, have already stopped selling energy drinks to minors. Other countries, such as the UK, have announced their intention to introduce similar bans.
Last week, the European Parliament’s ENVI Committee (Committee on Environment, Climate and Food Safety) held a public hearing on the food safety risks linked to energy drink consumption in minors.
But while the problems with caffeine and sugar consumption are well-aired, a region-wide ban doesn’t look set to come about any time soon.
Caffeine, taurine and sugar
Energy drinks typically contain high levels of caffeine, sugar and additional stimulants such as taurine, guarana, B vitamins and various herbal extracts.
Because children and adolescents have lower body weight and may be more sensitive to stimulants, they are considered particularly vulnerable to the effects of excess consumption.
Meanwhile, a typical 250ml energy drink contains around 27g of sugar, equivalent to 5-6 teaspoons of sugar – already delivering a day’s upper sugar limit (in reality, many energy drink can sizes are larger than 250ml).
Foodwatch is one of the consumer organizations calling on the EU to ban energy drink sales to children.
Aside from the ingredients used in energy drinks, it accuses drinks giants of ‘systematically targeting minors with their advertising’, using social media, influencer marketing, gaming partnerships or sports sponsorship.
Foodwatch wants an 18-year-old age limit to become standardized across the EU.
“Consumption of energy drinks is linked to many health risks for minors, coming from sugar but also from caffeine,” said Dr. Rebekka Siegmann of foodwatch. “And not only from high, but even moderate consumption.”
She says that manufacturers choose marketing channels where children are commonly found.
“Energy drink brands have become part of youth culture through the marketing and engagement in so many areas of young people’s lives, even though there are many health risks involved. We know sales of energy drinks have almost doubled in the last six years, however, only a few EU member states have taken measures to restrict sales to minors.”
Energy drink market
The global energy drinks market was estimated at $79bn in 2024 and is projected to reach $125bn by 2030. The US is the world’s largest consumer of energy drinks by volume, with some 30 litres per person per year in 2024.
In Europe, energy drinks only represent around 2.5% of the total European non-alcoholic beverage market (GlobalData figures cited by UNESDA). However, it is home to global heavyweight Red Bull, and energy drink’s caffeine contribution to adolescents’ diets is higher in some countries than others (notably the UK, Netherlands and Belgium).
A ‘complex policy challenge’
With these concerns, policymakers across the EU are increasingly assessing whether they should restrict children’s access to energy drinks.
At an EU level, however, this poses a ‘complex policy challenge’, says the European Parliament.
That’s because it has to ‘balance consumer autonomy, internal-market considerations and economic interests against growing evidence of potential harms caused by excessive consumption of energy drinks among children and adolescents’.
No product-specific legislation on energy drinks currently exists at an EU level.
However, energy drinks are subject to Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 on the provision of food information to consumers: which covers basic information such as ingredients, a nutritional declaration and allergens.
It also requires a specific warning statement for beverages with high caffeine content or foods with added caffeine (except for those based on coffee, tea, or coffee or tea extract where the name of the food includes the term ‘coffee’ or ‘tea’).
Products with more than 150mg caffeine per liter must declare the warning ‘High caffeine content. Not recommended for children or pregnant or breast-feeding women’.
EFSA on caffeine
EFSA’s 2015 scientific opinion on the safety of caffeine sets safe amounts for children based on body weight: saying children should consume no more than 3mg of caffeine per kg of body weight per day. For a child weighing 40kg, that equates to 120mg or two cola drinks.
However, appetite for EU-wide regulation from the European Parliament appears weak.
It points to EFSA’s 2015 opinion, which already sets out guidelines for caffeine consumption among children.
And most importantly, it highlights that EU countries have the freedom to set up their own national rules on the sale and advertising of energy drinks.
It says it ‘considers EFSA’s 2015 scientific opinion on the safety of caffeine sufficient and sees no need for additional EU-level action at this stage’.
Voluntary initiatives
The industry points to its voluntary initiatives that have already existed for many years.
Energy Drinks Europe (EDE) counts Red Bull, Power Horse, Boissons Energisantes (France) and Bullit among its members.
Its Code of Practice says it will not market energy drinks to children under 13-years-old: in line with the International Council of Beverages Association’s Global Policy on Marketing to children.
That means that EDE members do not place any marketing communication in any media with an audience of which more than 30% are children.
“The sector abides by long-standing voluntary commitments, including strict marketing codes that go beyond EU legal obligations, which prohibit marketing to children and encourage moderate consumption,” said a spokesperson following the European Parliament meeting last week.
“These measures reflect the industry’s responsible approach and continued focus on consumer protection.
“Several Members of the European Parliament also emphasized the need to anchor the debate in validated scientific evidence and to ensure that any future policy discussions continue to be guided by robust and independent risk assessments. EDE strongly welcomes these calls for an evidence-driven and proportionate approach.”
Soft drinks trade association UNESDA takes the same approach. Italian member association, ASSOBIBE, was present at the European Parliament meeting and presented on the subject.
“Our sector appreciated the opportunity to take part in the European Parliament hearing on energy drinks through the participation of our Italian member association,” said Nicholas Hodac, director general of UNESDA.
“We welcome the fact that the European Commission has clearly and unequivocally re-affirmed that energy drinks and their ingredients are safe, based on EFSA’s rigorous safety assessments, while also confirming that no further available data justifies reassessing caffeine.”
