Young people welcome long-awaited ban on high-caffeine energy drinks for under-16s

18 Jul 2026

Bite Back has welcomed the Government's confirmation that the sale of high-caffeine energy drinks to under-16s in England will be banned from April 2027, marking a major step towards protecting children's health and wellbeing.

The announcement

Following years of campaigning by young people, health organisations and campaigners calling for stronger action to tackle the growing availability and marketing of high-caffeine energy drinks to children.

Young people from Bite Back have played a key role in that campaign, meeting ministers and policymakers to share their experiences and explain how energy drinks have become an everyday part of life for many children and teenagers.

They have consistently called for stronger protections to help create healthier environments where young people can thrive.

Our Young people said

Carrera, Bite Back youth activist, said:

"This is really positive news, and I'm so pleased to see the Government taking this step. While we've been waiting for this announcement, around five high-caffeine energy drinks have been sold to children every second. That's why this matters so much.

Young people have been speaking up about energy drinks for a long time because we've seen how normal they've become in our schools, on our journeys to school and through the influencers and sports we love. They've become the social currency of the playground, and that simply shouldn't be the case.

At a time when so many young people have just been sitting exams, the last thing we need is products that can affect our sleep, concentration and wellbeing becoming part of everyday life.

It's encouraging to know that young people's voices have helped get us here, and I hope this is another important step towards creating healthier places where every young person can thrive."

The legislation will ban the sale of drinks containing more than 150mg of caffeine per litre to anyone under the age of 16.

It will apply across all retail settings, including supermarkets, convenience stores, vending machines and online retailers.

Businesses that fail to comply could face fines of up to £2,500, with local authorities responsible for enforcement.

Campaign work

Public Health Minister Sharon Hodgson said:

"High-caffeine energy drinks have no place in children's hands. We know thousands of kids in England consume them daily but the evidence is clear that this can cause anxiety, affect their sleep and concentration and can have a detrimental impact on their education.

This ban will reduce children's opportunity to buy drinks that are harmful to their health and wellbeing, and demonstrates our firm commitment to creating the healthiest generation of children ever."

The legislation follows a Government consultation that received almost 1,100 responses from businesses, public health organisations, enforcement bodies and members of the public, with strong support for introducing age restrictions.

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As one of your constituents, I wanted to ask if you would sign up to become a Bite Back Parliamentary School Food Champion?

I support the charity Bite Back, who are trying to make it as easy as possible for young people to access a healthy lunch in school, and so would love to see you showing your support too.

Healthy food in our schools in England should be a given, but right now the system is letting kids down.

This year is going to be a big one for school food because of the expansion in free school meals and breakfast clubs. But simply serving more food isn’t enough. It has to be about serving better food.

Bite Back works with young people in schools who tell them that the food in their canteens is unhealthy, unappealing and letting pupils down.

This is wrong. Do you agree? If so, please check out Bite Back on my behalf and consider signing up to be one of their Parliamentary School Food Champions. Read more here: https://www.biteback2030.com/our-activists/our-campaigns/school-food-champions/

Please let me know what you think about this.

As one of your constituents, I wanted to ask whether you are supportive of policies that protect children’s health?

I support Bite Back, a charity that is challenging the way unhealthy food and drink is made, marketed and sold. They want to make sure all young people can access food that helps them thrive.

This matters because children and teenagers are growing up in an environment where unhealthy options are often cheaper, easier to find, and more heavily promoted than healthier food. 1 in 3 children leave primary school already at risk of future food-related ill health. This means higher risk of things like tooth decay and type-2 diabetes.

As my MP, I hope you will take an interest in this issue and support action to create healthier food environments for children. That includes stronger school food standards, restrictions on junk food marketing, and making sure young people themselves are heard when decisions are made about their health.

I would be grateful if you would be open to hearing more from Bite Back and considering how you can support their work in Parliament. You can reach them on: publicaffairs@biteback2030.com

As one of your constituents, I wanted to ask if you would sign up to become a Bite Back Parliamentary School Food Champion?

I support the charity Bite Back, who are trying to make it as easy as possible for young people to access a healthy lunch in school, and so would love to see you showing your support too.

Healthy food in our schools in England should be a given, but right now the system is letting kids down.

This year is going to be a big one for school food because of the expansion in free school meals and breakfast clubs. But simply serving more food isn’t enough. It has to be about serving better food.

Bite Back works with young people in schools who tell them that the food in their canteens is unhealthy, unappealing and letting pupils down.

This is wrong. Do you agree? If so, please check out Bite Back on my behalf and consider signing up to be one of their Parliamentary School Food Champions. Read more here: https://www.biteback2030.com/our-activists/our-campaigns/school-food-champions/

Please let me know what you think about this.