Mandatory Measures
1. Should sales of energy drinks to young people under the age of 16 be banned?
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Yes
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No – the mandatory age limit should be 18
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No – there should be no mandatory age restrictions
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Unsure
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Other (please specify)
Proposals for implementation and enforcement
3. Please comment on our proposals for enforcing any requirements that are implemented.
Please include any practical issues that we should consider to ensure that the enforcement of any policy implementation is done fairly and is not overly burdensome.
My concern with regards to enforcement is that 16-17 year olds would in practice be less inclined to have photo ID than people aged 18 and over which could make it difficult to determine if someone is of age to buy energy drink or not.
Many businesses where I live already have a policy of not selling energy drink to people under the age of 16 and I have noticed some confusion on the part of staff as to how to determine who to ask for ID as the only procedure in place is the 'think 25' rule for the sale of alcohol; I'm not sure if this does or should apply to sale of energy drinks.
Early on I was often asked for ID (I am over 25 but look young) but I have not been asked to verify my age for some time. I'm not sure if this is because staff have become more able to identify that I am an adult as they've grown used to the policy or if they have become less stringent about age verification for energy drink due to the difficulty of determining if someone is older than 16.
If the sale of energy drink to under 16s were to be banned then I feel there would need to be clearer guidelines in place as to how to verify the age of young-looking customers.
Many businesses where I live already have a policy of not selling energy drink to people under the age of 16 and I have noticed some confusion on the part of staff as to how to determine who to ask for ID as the only procedure in place is the 'think 25' rule for the sale of alcohol; I'm not sure if this does or should apply to sale of energy drinks.
Early on I was often asked for ID (I am over 25 but look young) but I have not been asked to verify my age for some time. I'm not sure if this is because staff have become more able to identify that I am an adult as they've grown used to the policy or if they have become less stringent about age verification for energy drink due to the difficulty of determining if someone is older than 16.
If the sale of energy drink to under 16s were to be banned then I feel there would need to be clearer guidelines in place as to how to verify the age of young-looking customers.
Impact assessments
7. What, if any, impact do you think applying mandatory age restrictions to sales of energy drinks would have on businesses?
Please include any anticipated differential impacts, positive and negative, on sellers, distributors and manufacturers of energy drinks.
No comment
8. What, if any, impact do you think implementing mandatory age restrictions to sales of energy drinks will have on people based on any of the following characteristics?
Please consider potentially positive, negative and differential impacts, supported by evidence, and, if applicable, advise on any mitigating actions we should take.
No comment
About you
Are you responding as an individual or an organisation?
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