European MEPs have opted to veto legislation that would have allowed energy drink manufacturers to use a number of specific health claims when marketing their products.
Members of the European Parliament’s Public Health Committee agreed that energy drinks containing caffeine should not display claims that they help to increase alertness or concentration. Danish MEP Christel Schaldemose, a member of the S&D parliamentary group, argued that the move would validate high sugar consumption among adolescents, who are already the largest consumers of energy drinks.
The setback leaves the future of health claims on energy drinks in doubt, with the Health Committee’s concerns set to be put to MEPs next month.
Energy Drinks Europe (EDE), the trade body that represents manufacturers on the continent, said it hoped that July’s vote would resurrect the plans to allow energy drink manufacturers to use the claims in relation to the caffeine content of their products.
“The commission proposal aims to establish a legal framework across Europe for caffeine claims, providing protection for consumers with a particular focus on children and adolescents, as well as legal certainty for businesses,” an EDE spokesperson was quoted as saying.
“This vote, however, could result in the use of caffeine claims being left unlegislated at European level.”
But Schaldemose argued that allowing the legislation to continue unchallenged would be irresponsible.
Christel Schaldemose does not believe energy drinks should have health claims. © European Parliament
“From statistics we know that a lot of young people and even children are drinking a lot of these energy drinks,” she said. “So it’s not just the caffeine, it’s also that energy drinks contain a lot of sugar as well. And we don’t think that these kind of drinks should have any kind of health claims put on them.”
A 250ml can of energy drink can contain up to 27g of sugar and 80mg of caffeine, the Health Committee said. The World Health Organization has recommended that adults and children should get no more than 10% of their daily energy intake from free sugars, and that a further reduction to below 5% – or around 25g per day – would provide additional health benefits to consumers.
And the drinks have been linked to headaches, sleep problems and behavioural problems in children and adolescents who regularly consume them, MEPs also claimed.
Schaldemose continued: “We’re not going to say that adults should not drink coffee or energy drinks. We just don’t want to [help companies] earn a lot of money on a health claim that we think is not suited for young kids.”
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