Central England Co-op reveals minimum age limit on sales of energy drinks with high caffeine levels
Posted by rob smyth | Published: 23/02/2018
Central England Co-op has today announced that it is putting in place an age limit for sales of energy drinks with high caffeine levels.
From 1 March, customers who buy energy drinks that contain 150mg or more caffeine per litre will be asked to prove that they are over the age of 16.
The Society has decided to take this voluntary decision after speaking to dozens of parents and teachers about their growing concerns that more and more youngsters are drinking these products.
This decision falls in line with industry labelling guidelines, which require any soft drink with more than 150 mg of caffeine per litre to carry a high caffeine content warning and state it is not recommended for children.
Hannah Gallimore, Central England Co-op Corporate Responsibility manager, said: “We pride ourselves on being a responsible and ethical retailer based at the heart of our communities and after receiving feedback from teachers and parents we knew we had to act.
“This decision will ensure that strict guidelines are in place to prevent young people under the age of 16 buying these products in line with industry labelling guidelines.
“High caffeine energy drinks carry advice stating that they should not be consumed by children, we hope that our decision to put this voluntary sales age limit in place will help address concerns associated with these drinks being consumed by under 16s.”
Notes to editors
About Central England Co-operative
Central England Co-operative is one of the largest independent retail co-operative societies in the UK.
It is a modern, forward-looking organisation employing over 8,000 staff, with the Society’s principal areas of activity being food, funeral services, and property investment.
Central England Co-operative has over 400 trading outlets across 16 counties including; West Midlands, Warwickshire, Worcestershire, Staffordshire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Rutland, Nottinghamshire, Northamptonshire, Lincolnshire, West Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, Suffolk, Norfolk, Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire. The Society has an ambitious food store development programme for 2018.
Central England Co-operative is proud of its reputation for ethical business practices and corporate responsibility. It is a member of Business in the Community, the membership organisation that stands for responsible business, and has also won many business awards for excellence. The Society supports a number of charities including Dementia UK and invests a percentage of its trading profit into local communities.
Becoming a member of Central England Co-operative offers a whole host of benefits ranging from collecting points every time you spend in store to earn a share of the profits, access to members activities and community initiatives including the Community Dividend Fund, which hands out grants of up to £5,000 to charities and good causes across the Society’s trading estate.
Find out how to become a Central England Co-operative member by calling 0800 0501 601, emailing members@centralengland.coop or visiting https://www.members.coop
For more information visit www.centralengland.coop, follow Central England Co-operative on Twitter: @mycoopfood, and on Facebook: facebook.com/centralenglandcooperative
Rob Smyth / Heather Clapton at Central England Co-operative on 01543 414140
Email –publicrelations@centralengland.coop