DUBAI // The UAE has no immediate plans to follow Saudi Arabia’s ban on energy drinks but guidelines are constantly under review, says the authority that helped to have them banned from schools.
The kingdom prohibited sales of the drinks on Monday but, “right now we don’t have any plans to ban it”, said Mohammed Badri, acting director general of Esma, the Emirates Authority for Standardisation and Metrology.
“Every year we have a review and this will be reviewed in the second quarter of this year. We will look at specifications of products and decide whether any limitations need to be adjusted.
“Our decision is already well thought of and we have studied the issue of energy drinks along with the Health Department. We already do not allow these drinks to be sold in schools.”
The sale of energy drinks was banned in schools in 2012 under health guidelines from the Ministry of Education, following Esma's recommendations.
The ban aims to tackle poor nutrition habits among young people. Other food and drinks banned in schools by the ministry at the time included fried meals, food with a high sugar or salt content, carbonated energy drinks and flavoured water.
The caffeine content in some energy drinks ranges between 80 milligrams and more than 500mg a can – twice the daily recommended amount of 250mg, doctors say.
Health experts welcomed continuous campaigns to spread knowledge that too much energy drink can lead to panic attacks, high blood pressure, vomiting and, in severe cases, cardiac arrest.
“Doctors get patients coming in with palpitations and dizziness if big amounts are consumed, and people know that this boost of energy is temporary,” said Dr Sara Malik, a family doctor with the Ministry of Health in Ras Al Khaimah.
“But even if people know it is not good enough because they are still consuming it. So there has to be another answer. There should be an awareness campaign about how to get energy from other sources.
"Children should be encouraged to drink more water. The health message should give people choices and not inhibit them from consuming because then people will be sceptical."
Dr Ammar Hasan, a general practitioner at Medcare Hospital in Dubai, said the drinks also played a role in obesity and diabetes.
“These are extra unneeded calories,” said Dr Hasan. “Parents should be counselled never to give it to children below 16 years.”
"My recommendation is that there must be control exercised because of the stimulants in the drinks. Supervision and parental control are needed because teenagers are the main targets of energy drinks.
“Patients with pre-existing conditions could have palpitations and arrhythmia when they consume a stimulant.”
Prohibiting the sale of certain goods in schools was only introduced after a thorough study by Esma, and there is always room for greater awareness, Mr Badri said.
“Whatever we do will be based on science and after gathering statistics about at what age people are drinking this,” he said.
“We will continue to discuss this with health authorities to see if there should be more campaigns. Part of our guidelines are that shops should clearly label the section as selling energy drinks, for consumer information, so they are not confused with other drinks.”
The sale of energy drinks in Saudi Arabia has been prohibited in restaurants, canteens, and sports and health centres in government and educational institutions, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
The ban has also put a stop to advertising, sports sponsorship and social and cultural events organised by energy drinks companies.
It was approved during a cabinet meeting in Riyadh after an interior ministry study of the harmful effects.
rtalwar@thenational.ae
