Summary of responses to consultation on Energy drinks

Wednesday 3 April 2002

Energy Drinks: Meeting of 'Foodstuffs Legislation' Working Group on 28 February 2002

Response from	Comment	Initial View	Accept / Reject / No action required (NAR) / Consider
The Scottish Licensed Trade Association	The Scottish Licensed Trade Association has been extremely concerned, for a number of years now, at the increasing trend of binge drinking. There has been an alarming change in the drinking culture of the young who are easily influenced by marketing practices, especially a range of products which claim to give the individual 'special powers'.	Agree, although marketing practices vary considerably across member states.	Accept
	This ideology has filtered through to those who use so called 'energy drinks' as a mixer with alcoholic drinks. The implication that energy giving products will increase your ability to perform a range of feats does nothing to help alleviate the problems associated with alcohol abuse. It only accelerates the situation by suggesting you can do anything because of the stimulating effect it will supposedly have on you, and encourages more to be consumed.	Member states have generally agreed there is insufficient scientific evidence to support the setting of Upper Safe Limits (USLs) for taurine and glucoronolactone. The use of 'energy drinks' as mixers with alcohol has been raised as an area of concern by some member states, i.e. UK, Netherlands, although again there is insufficient scientific data to determine the health risk, if any, of mixing the two drinks.	Consider