The Government is to introduce legislation that would ban the sale of high-caffeine energy drinks to children under 16 in England.
Expected to come into force from April 2027, the proposed restrictions will apply across all direct-to-consumer sales channels, with drinks that contain more than 150mg of caffeine per litre impacted by the law.
Local authorities will be responsible for enforcing the ban and the Government has proposed the following fixed monetary penalties for underage sales of high-caffeine energy drinks:
| Person or business | Sum of the fixed monetary penalty | Sum to discharge liability (50% of the fixed monetary penalty) within the specified time | Sum for any penalty that is unpaid and has not been appealed after the specified time |
| Individual, micro and small businesses (less than 50 employees) | £1,500 | £750 | £2,250 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Medium and large businesses (50 employees or more) | £2,500 | £1,250 | £3,750 |
The new legislation is subject to parliamentary approval.
A consultation into the sale of high-caffeine energy drinks to under-16s was held in September 2025 due to concerns over the health impact of their consumption by under-16s.
According to government estimates at the time, around 100,000 children consume at least one high caffeine energy drink every day, and it warns of growing evidence linking high-caffeine energy drinks to harmful effects on children, including disrupted sleep, increased anxiety, poor concentration and reduced educational outcomes.
Association of Convenience Stores (ACS) research from 2022 found that 80% of independent retailers already had some form of voluntary policy in place to restrict the sale of energy drinks to young people and the British Soft Drinks Association’s voluntary code of practice commits its members to not directly market, or sample high-caffeine energy drinks with children under 16 years.
ACS chief executive Ed Woodall urged the Government to allow more time for the new legislation’s implementation. “Local shops have a strong track record of managing age restricted products and they will apply the same dilligence to preventing under 16s accessing energy drinks by formalising existing voluntary committements.
“Local shops need time to prepare for this new statutory ban and we urge the government to give business more notice to deliver additional training for staff, signage in store and conversations with customers. It is essential that the Government invests in clear guidance for retailers who will be the ones enforcing the law on a daily basis.”
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