Two Christian Democrat politicians, Nacsa Lőrinc and István Hollik, submitted to the Parliament on Tuesday a proposed law prohibiting the sale of energy drinks to under 18-year-olds, reports MTI.
People under the age of 18 may be banned from buying and consuming energy drinks in Hungary
According to Lőrinc Nacsa, the law is necessary because the consumption of energy drinks by young people in Hungary has now reached alarming proportions. According to a survey, 78 percent of them consume energy drinks, and every fifth child between the ages of 10 and 14 regularly consumes energy drinks for breakfast.
The bill published on the parliamentary website states that it is prohibited to sell or serve energy drinks to persons under the age of 18. Under the amendment, violators of the rules for the distribution of energy drinks are subject to the same sanctions as violators of the rules for the sale of alcoholic beverages, tobacco products, and sexual products.
According to the general rationale of the bill, since November 1, 2011, the National Center for Public Health and Pharmaceuticals has received nearly five hundred reports of events, illnesses, and unpleasant symptoms related to energy drink consumption.
26 percent of the reported incidents affected girls and 74 percent affected boys, in 74 percent of the cases young people under the age of 18 became ill, and the majority of them were 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 the energy drink was consumed together with alcohol.
The justification states that the opinion of the experts of the Hungarian Society of Cardiology and the National Public Health and Pharmaceutical Center is unanimous that the excessive consumption of energy drinks by young people poses a significant health risk.
In January, a comprehensive summary of the effects of energy drinks on young people was published, which revealed that they cause, among other things, worse sleep and poor school performance.
Earlier, the Hungarian Energy Drink Association also admitted that energy drinks are not recommended for children because of the caffeine. According to Sándor Csibi, the general secretary of the association, other drinks should also be banned on this basis. “Let’s not apply double standards, let’s not be discriminatory. Don’t say that energy drinks can’t be consumed, but cola can be,” said the general secretary at the time.
(telex.hu)
