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Supermarket giant Waitrose has announced that it will ban sales of highly caffeinated energy drinks to minors.
From 5 March 2018, stores will ask customers to provide identification proving that they are over the age of 16 when purchasing drinks containing more than 150mg of caffeine per litre.
The move builds on existing industry labelling guidelines, which require any soft drink with more than 150mg of caffeine per litre to carry a warning and state the product is not recommended for children.
Waitrose is so far the only UK supermarket to announce a sales policy aligned with the guidance present on energy drink packaging.
Simon Moore, Waitrose director of technical and corporate social responsibility, said: “As a responsible retailer we want to sell these products in line with the labelling guidance.
“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.”
