Retailers warned on energy drink sales

Shops in the UAE have been warned over selling energy drinks to children under-16 and pregnant women, as part of new health guidelines on the sale and display of these products.

Manufacturing companies have also been asked to enhance health warnings on the products.

Notices issued by the Ministry of Economy have already been put up in supermarkets. They warn that energy drinks are not suitable for children under-16, pregnant women, people sensitive to caffeine and diabetic patients.

The regulations are nearly ready and will be unified for the entire country, a senior official told Khaleej Times on Wednesday.

“They should be in place before summer sets in,” said Mohammed Saleh Badri, Acting Director-General of the Emirates Authority for Standardisation and Metrology (ESMA), the federal agency in charge of the conformity and standards.

“Energy drinks are different and should be stored away from other carbonated drinks,” he explained.

A committee comprising officials from the ESMA, the Ministry of Economy and municipalities has met twice and is finalising the guidelines and standards that need to be implemented.

“We are working on three fronts — standards, requirements and compliance,” said Badri. “We have tested the products and it has been proven that it impacts health. Therefore, the sale of the products will be banned for some people,” he said.

Asia Abdulwahab Alraeesi of the Dubai Municipality (DM) said the civic body was coordinating with other authorities involved in drafting the new regulations and ensuring their implementation. “The ESMA has decided to implement the ECAS (Emirates Conformity Assessment Scheme Certification) registration for energy drinks. We are working with them to finalise the specifications for labelling, testing, control measures like monitoring companies, and trading regulations,” said Alraeesi, who heads the Food Studies and Planning at the Food Control Department of DM.

“We have to ensure that there are enough notices in food premises to warn consumers about the health risks, which should also be made clear in the labels,” she said.

Only the consignments having valid ECAS registration certificates will be allowed to enter the country once the new regulations come into effect.

Caffeine is often the primary ingredient in energy drinks used for its potential to improve mental and physical performance. However, a recent advisory put out by the Journal of the American Medical Association says that such drinks could be a health hazard since they cause palpitations and even abnormal heart rates.

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