Waitrose is set to ban the sale of strongly caffeinated drinks to children under the age of 16, following calls for a complete ban from campaigners.
As of March 5, shoppers may be asked to prove they are over 16 if they wish to purchase drinks containing more than 150mg of caffeine per litre.
Although many drinks have been reformulated in the wake of the soft drinks levy, campaigners have called on the sale of highly caffeinated drinks to under 16s to be banned entirely.
The move follows the introduction of a voluntary code of practice by the British Soft Drinks Association in 2010, prompting soft drinks companies not to market to under 16s.
Action for Sugar found last month that sugar servings in energy drinks were well about the typical, and that children in the UK are among the highest consumers in the EU.
Waitrose is not the first to impose the ban, with Morrisons making the same move in 2013 across some of its stores.
“As a responsible retailer we want to sell these products in line with the labelling guidance,” Waitrose corporate responsibility director Simon Moore said.
“These drinks carry advice stating that they are not recommended for children, so we’re choosing to proactively act on that guidance, particularly given the widespread concerns which have been raised about these drinks when consumed by under-16s.”
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