Bill to Ban the Sale of Energy Drinks to Under-18s Submitted

On Tuesday, two Christian Democrat politicians, Lőrinc Nacsa and István Hollik, submitted a bill to Parliament banning the sale of energy drinks to under-18s.

Lőrinc Nacsa explained the importance of the bill in a post on his Facebook page, saying that the consumption of energy drinks by young people in Hungary has reached alarming proportions. Referring to a survey, the politician said that 78 percent of young people consume energy drinks, and that one in five 10-14 year olds regularly have energy drinks for breakfast. “In recent months, we have consulted many experts and doctors, who confirmed that this is a serious health risk,” he added.

Lőrinc Nacsa stressed in the post that the preservation of the health of Hungarian youth is a common cause, and asked his fellow MPs to support the proposal, regardless of party political affiliation.

The bill published on the Parliament’s website states that it is prohibited to sell or serve energy drinks to persons under the age of 18.

Under the amendment, those who break the rules on the sale of energy drinks will be subject to the same penalties as those who break the rules on the sale of alcoholic beverages, tobacco products or sexual products.

The general justification for the bill is that the proportion of energy drink consumers under the age of 18 is steadily increasing. Since November 1, 2011, the National Center for Public Health and Pharmacy has received nearly 500 reports of incidents, sickness and adverse symptoms related to energy drink consumption.

Of the reported incidents, 26 percent involved girls and 74 percent boys,

with 74 percent of the cases involving young people under 18 years of age, with the highest number of cases in the 15-16 age group.

The amount of energy drink consumed varied between 1 deciliter and 2.5 liters per person, and 22 percent of energy drinks were consumed with alcohol. The place of consumption of energy drinks was identified as home in 40 percent of cases, school in 23 percent and a nightclub in only 8 percent.

The seriousness of the problem is demonstrated by the fact that in the vast majority of cases – 70 percent – there was a need to seek medical care.

The explanatory memorandum states that experts from the Hungarian Society of Cardiology and the National Center for Public Health and Pharmacy are unanimous in their opinion that excessive energy drink consumption by young people poses a significant health risk. Furthermore, representatives of the Association for European Paediatric Cardiology say that more and more of their patients are being hospitalized for overdoses and they want to see a Europe-wide ban on the sale of energy drinks to minors, the explanatory memorandum to the bill says.

Most People Support Ban on Energy Drinks for Minors