“Energy” on censorship. Politicians want to limit their sale

The Republican Party has drafted an amendment to the Public Health Act. Politicians want to ban the sale of energy drinks to youth under 18, as well as further restrict advertising for such products.

Energy drinks: sleep disturbances, hyperactivity…

There are no restrictions on access to energy drinks. They are very popular among children and teenagers, for whom energy drinks are especially harmful. A liter of “energy” provides the amount of caffeine found in 6-8 cups of coffee.

The IMiD study, conducted on a representative sample of 7,716 students aged 11, 13, 15 and 17 from 16 Polish voivodships, shows that a quarter of the youngest students report drinking energy drinks, and the frequency of drinking these drinks is increasing. with age, - wrote the deputy head of the Ministry of Health. “Frequently, that is, at least once a week, every tenth 11-year-old and almost half of 15-year-olds use these drinks,” the deputy minister wrote. health care Waldemar Kraska in response to a request from deputies from the Civic Coalition, who had previously also been interested in the excessive use of energy drinks by teenagers.

Waldemar Kraska pointed out the harm that the use of “energy drinks” can cause to the body of young people. These are caffeine intoxication, problems with the cardiovascular system, sleep disturbances, destructive behavior, mental health problems.

Restrictions on the sale of energy drinks. What does the project contain?

A bill has already been submitted to the Saeima to ban the sale of energy drinks to persons under the age of 18 and introduce an absolute ban on their advertising. Republicans want the sale of energy drinks to minors severely punished with fines or jail time. Failure to comply with the energy drink advertising ban will also be penalized.

Broadcast advertising of drinks with the addition of caffeine or taurine on television, radio, in cinemas and theaters will be possible only from 6.00 to 20.00. One exception has been taken into account - it is allowed to advertise “by the organizer of a competitive or professional sporting event during the event.” Advertising should not show “relaxed”, smiling children and suggest that energy drinks give strength, energy and improve mood.

The media will lose out from the ban as manufacturers’ advertising costs rise

The Wirtualne Media website has calculated that during 2022, list price energy drink manufacturers spent PLN 99.6 million on advertising in traditional media (without the Internet). The vast majority (over 80 percent) of these expenses fell on television – PLN 84.4 million, i.e. 17.7 percent. more than in 2021.

Wirtualne Media asked Darek Kubuj, chief strategist at marketing consultancy Kubuj Strategia, if such a ban could limit youth consumption of energy drinks.

“A ban on advertising now will not change anything, because the category has been around for many years and has already proven itself very well. All major consumer effects, such as category penetration or use cases, are long overdue. Therefore, when it comes to stopping or limiting consumption among young people, no real effects can be expected. The only thing you can count on is the difficulty of introducing new brands, i.e. actual preferences to current leaders. It’s worth looking at it in the context of other categories,” he said.