700 days on: Fuse supports coalition urging energy drinks ban for children

Research from Fuse, the Centre for Translational Research in Public Health, has been instrumental in evidencing the harmful impacts of energy drinks on children and now underpins calls from a national coalition for the Government to deliver its long-promised ban on sales to under-16s.

Today (Wednesday 17 June) marks exactly 700 days since the Government pledged in the 2024 King’s Speech to introduce restrictions on high-caffeine energy drinks. However, legislation has yet to be brought forward.

In that time, an estimated 280 million energy drinks have been sold - around 300 per minute, or five every second. This is despite labels warning they are “not suitable for children”.

A coalition of leading health organisations, academics, youth campaigners and celebrity chef Jamie Oliver has issued an open letter warning that continued inaction is putting children’s health, wellbeing and learning at risk. Signatories include Bite Back, Sustain: the alliance for better food and farming, Action on Salt & Sugar, the British Dental Association, and the Association of Directors of Public Health.

“The international evidence is clear; drinking energy drinks is associated with both poor physical and mental health outcomes in children as well as poor educational attainment”

Professor Amelia Lake, Fuse Deputy Director, Teesside University

Professor Amelia Lake (pictured), Deputy Director of Fuse, The Centre for Translational Research in Public Health, and Professor of Public Health Nutrition at Teesside University, is among those adding her voice to the call for urgent action.

She said: “The international evidence is clear; drinking energy drinks is associated with both poor physical and mental health outcomes in children as well as poor educational attainment.

“Our recent research shows these drinks are widely available to children, particularly from smaller shops and online. Speaking with children we know that marketing and branding play a powerful role in influencing young people' purchasing decisions.”

Professor Lake’s contribution reflects nearly a decade of research from Fuse, which has played a key role in building the evidence base linking energy drink consumption to disrupted sleep, increased anxiety, poorer concentration and reduced educational outcomes.

The work includes a major review examining 57 studies involving over 1.2 million children and young people across 21 countries, consistently demonstrating the negative impacts of these products on both physical and mental health.

This and previous research suggest that:

• Around 100,000 children drink at least one high caffeine energy drink every day and there is growing concern among parents and teachers about the impact on children’s health and education.
• Up to one third of children aged 13 to 16 years, and nearly a quarter of children aged 11 to 12 years consume one or more of these drinks each week.
• There is growing evidence linking these drinks to harmful effects on children, including increased frequency of headaches, irritation, tiredness and stomach aches; reduced sleep duration and quality; and increased risk of emotional difficulties, such as stress, anxiety and depression.
• Children from more deprived communities are more likely to consume these products, meaning a ban would support reducing health inequalities.

Despite this strong evidence, and widespread concern among parents and teachers, energy drinks remain readily available. While many major supermarkets have introduced voluntary restrictions, Fuse research shows that children can still easily purchase these products from smaller shops and online retailers.

The coalition warns that this continued availability is having real consequences in classrooms and for children’s wellbeing, particularly during key periods such as exams when sleep, focus and mental health are critical.

Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, Jamie Oliver criticised the delay, saying: “First and foremost the government is dragging their heels… they said in the King’s Speech they would ban the sale of energy drinks to children… all the homework is done.”

Campaigners point to overwhelming support for action, with around eight in ten parents backing restrictions and retailers themselves calling for regulation to create a level playing field.

Professor Lake has contributed to national policy discussions on the issue, providing evidence to decision-makers. Her involvement in this coalition reinforces the strength and consistency of the academic evidence.

She added: “Our research has shown the significant mental and physical health consequences of children drinking energy drinks. These drinks have no place in the diets of children.

“We know they are embedded in youth culture and linked to gaming, sport and music, but there is a lack of clear signalling about their health consequences.”

The Government has previously consulted on proposals to restrict sales, with strong public support for action from parents, teachers and health professionals. Internationally, several countries have already introduced age restrictions, while others are moving forward with similar policies.

700 days on from the original pledge the coalition members are calling for legislation to be introduced without further delay, arguing that the evidence is clear and the opportunity to protect children’s health should not be missed. 

Read the full letter here

List of signatories:

Jamie Oliver, Chef and Child Health Campaigner
Barbara Crowther, Children’s Food Campaign Manager, Sustain
Katharine Jenner, Executive Director, Obesity Health Alliance
Dr Kawther Hashem, Senior Lecturer in Public Health Nutrition at Queen Mary University of London 
Sonia Pombo, Head of Research & Impact, Action on Salt & Sugar
Dr Giota Mitrou, Executive Director of Research and Policy, World Cancer Research Fund
Dr Robin Ireland, Honorary Research Fellow, University of Glasgow 
Dr Matthew Philpott, Executive Director, Health Equalities Group
Eddie Crouch, Chair, British Dental Association
Liz Stockley, CEO, British Dietetic Association 
Greg Fell OBE, President of the Association of Directors of Public Health
Professor Sheena Ramsay, Director of Fuse, the Centre for Translational Research in Public Health
D’Arcy Williams, CEO, Bite Back 2030
J. Paul Wright, CEO, Alliance 4 Children

Building on earlier research

The research acknowledged in the government announcement is an update to a review in 2016 by researchers from Fuse, the Centre for Translational Research in Public Health, at Teesside University and Newcastle University. It found that energy drink consumption was more common among boys than girls, and was also associated with increased risky behaviours such as substance use, violence, and unsafe sex. The research also links consumption of the drinks with an increased risk of poor academic performance, sleep problems, and unhealthy dietary habits.

In 2017, the same researchers from Fuse were the first to publish research exploring in-depth the views of children, as young as 10-years-old, on energy drinks. The academics called on the UK government to take action on the sale of energy drinks to under 16s after finding that they were being sold to young people cheaper than bottled water.

The research revealed that energy drinks were easily available in local shops; sold for as little as 25p (‘four for £1’ promotions); targeted at children through online adverts, computer games, television and sports sponsorship; and linked to extreme sports, gaming, sexuality, gender, and use of sexualised imagery.

Previous research had also found that up to a third of children in the UK consume caffeinated energy drinks on a weekly basis and that young people in the UK were the biggest consumers of energy drinks in Europe for their age group.

National campaign

Professor Amelia Lake was involved in a national campaign, fronted by celebrity chef Jamie Oliver, to restrict the sale of energy drinks to teenagers, and gave evidence to the House of Commons Science and Technology Committee on the effects of energy drinks on young people’s mental and physical health. Many large UK supermarkets subsequently agreed to voluntarily ban the sale of energy drinks to children. 

Regulation in other countries

A number of countries have attempted to regulate energy drinks, including bans on sales to under 18s in Poland, Lithuania and Latvia. Norway has recently announced a sales restriction to come in force in 2026. The UK government ran a consultation on ending the sale of energy drinks to children in England and also proposed this in their 2019 green paper ‘Advancing our health: prevention in the 2020s’. While 93% of respondents to the consultation supported restricting sales to under 16s, there has been no further action. In 2022, the devolved government in Wales launched its own consultation to ban the sales of energy drinks to under 16s. A consultation also ran in 2025 but has not yet been reported.

What are energy drinks?

The UK Food Standards Agency says that energy drinks are generally drinks with high levels of caffeine. They are usually marketed as giving a mental and physical 'boost' by providing more ‘energy’ than regular soft drinks. They are different to ‘sports drinks’ which might be used to replace electrolytes lost during exercise. Caffeine levels in a can of energy drink can vary between 80mg (equivalent to two cans of cola or a mug of instant coffee) and 200mg (equivalent to five cans of cola).

About Fuse

Fuse, the Centre for Translational Research in Public Health, brings together six Universities in North East England and North Cumbria (Durham, Newcastle, Northumbria, Teesside, Cumbria, and Sunderland) in a unique collaboration to deliver world-class research to improve health and wellbeing and tackle inequalities.

Fuse is a founding member of the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) School for Public Health Research (SPHR).

Find out more

Fuse’s energy drink research activity and impact has been captured in this timeline:

• Timeline: How the Fuse energy drinks research story developed

This research has been summarised in the following:

• Podcast: Should we be concerned about energy drinks and young people’s health?
• Policy brief: Evidence shows wider range of risks associated with energy drinks in children
• Blog post: Energy drinks may be commercially lucrative but what is more valuable than the health of our children?

Last modified: Wed, 17 Jun 2026 13:02:12 BST