Open consultation

Banning the sale of high-caffeine energy drinks to children

From:: Department of Health and Social Care
Published: 3 September 2025

Applies to England

Summary

The government is seeking views on the proposed ban on the sale of high-caffeine energy drinks to children under the age of 16 years in England.

This consultation closes at
11:59pm on 26 November 2025

Consultation description

This consultation seeks views on banning the sale of high-caffeine energy drinks to children under the age of 16 years (that is, children aged 15 years and under). This includes proposals on:

the minimum age of sale for high-caffeine energy drinks
the products and businesses in scope of the ban
how the ban will apply in vending machines
the length of time that businesses and enforcement authorities need to implement the ban
how the ban would be enforced

The proposed ban would apply in England only, since policy relating to high-caffeine energy drinks is a devolved matter.

The consultation document outlines the background on high-caffeine energy drinks and why government is concerned about children consuming them.

The consultation impact assessment sets out our provisional assessment of the impact of the proposals.

Documents