With 174 votes in favor, the representatives in Hungary’s National Assembly unanimously adopted a new law that makes it illegal to sell or serve energy drinks to those under the age of 18.
The law will enter into force in 30 days, and violators of the regulation, writes Mandiner, will be subject to the same sanctions as those violating the rules on the sale of alcoholic beverages, tobacco products, or sexual products.
Recent surveys show that 10 percent of high school and college students consume energy drinks on a daily basis, and in recent years, there have been hundreds of cases where young people have required medical attention due to excessive energy drink consumption.
The Hungarian Society of Cardiologists and the National Center for Public Health and Pharmacy submitted expert opinions for the law’s justification as well, unanimously stating that excessive consumption of energy drinks by young people poses a significant health risk due to their effects on the cardiovascular system.
The combined consumption of energy drinks and alcohol can cause permanent damage to the liver, heart and kidneys, the justification reads. Youth in Hungary are known to combine energy drinks with alcohol. Furthermore, the long-term impact of energy drink consumption is still unknown, as it is a relatively recent phenomenon.
Hungary is the fourth member state to implement such a ban. Lithuania was the first in the European Union to introduce an age restriction in 2014, followed by Latvia in 2016, where the sale of energy drinks is also prohibited in educational institutions.
Last year, Poland became the third EU country to introduce a ban on those under the age of 18, with a 2022 national survey revealing that nearly half, 46.4 percent, of young people between the ages of 10 and 14 consumed energy drinks, and the frequency of consumption increased with age.
In Turkey, too, minors are prohibited from purchasing energy drinks. In several countries, such as Great Britain and Sweden, there is no legal ban, but large retail chains voluntarily refuse to allow young people to purchase energy drinks. It is also typical that the ban applies to the sale of energy drinks in schools.
Hungary’s own Hell Energy brand commented on the new law, telling the Mandiner news portal: “Based on international experience, there is still no clear evidence that restricting energy drinks for those under 18 would be effective.”
“Healthy adults can safely consume up to 400 mg of caffeine per day, which is equivalent to about five cans of Hell energy drink,” the energy drink maker continued. “We are convinced that the restriction currently adopted is not necessarily the most effective tool for protecting the health of young people.”
As to what they consider the best long-term approach, Hell added: “We believe that promoting informed consumer decisions through targeted information and education is worth supporting – this would be a sustainable and proportionate approach in the long term.”
They also pointed out what many have brought up: “Caffeine is indeed not recommended for children – but this is true for all caffeinated drinks, including coffee and cola.”
Hell famously had a multi-year collaboration with Bruce Willis, with billboards of him around Budapest promoting the drink. Their agreement was even renewed in early 2022. Shortly after this, the Hollywood star stepped away from acting due to aphasia and came public with his dementia diagnosis the following year. There has been no word since regarding his contract with Hell.
One Hungarian organization, the Young Families Club (Ficsak), told MTI that it “welcomes the fact that the parliament has amended the law to prohibit the sale of energy drinks to minors.” The regulation has long been justified, they say, as energy drink consumption has taken on dramatic proportions among young people in recent years.
