Hansard

I join other members in thanking Graeme Dey for bringing forward this topic for debate. It has become a touchstone issue. Many people have written to me about it, and in many ways the issue of energy drinks is an indicator of the health of our wider food culture as well. It also brings into sharp focus the responsibilities of food companies, public institutions and retailers and the kind of action that we need to take on the back of that.

I join members in congratulating The Courier on the can it campaign, which is aimed at getting energy drinks banned in schools. I was delighted about the campaign when it was launched in 2016. Since then, schools across Courier country, from Blairgowrie high school to Wade academy, have backed the ban. The campaign has brought about a much-needed debate about the health impacts of these drinks in classrooms. It has also become a welcome talking point about diet in many families, including my own.

It is clear that energy drinks are not recommended for children. In fact, as we have heard, every can states exactly that on its side. That is no wonder, because regular consumption of high-calorie, high-caffeine energy drinks has been linked to anxiety, behavioural disorders, nausea, tooth decay, obesity and even breathing difficulties.

It must be a nightmare to teach a class that is fuelled on energy drinks, and that cannot be a good environment to learn in either. Therefore I am pleased that the drive for a ban in schools has come not just from teachers but from pupils.

These drinks originated for use in extreme sports, long-distance driving and tiring working environments. They were designed as an artificial fix for flagging concentration and fatigue. They obviously should not be daily breakfast on the way to school, yet we all see the empty cans and bottles that litter our communities. There was a time when a bowl of Ready Brek was the breakfast with magical energy-boosting properties, but that seems to be no more.

Food and drink is a complex issue for young people. It is not just about taste but about the social aspect of school lunch times, as well as the social aspect of the start and end of the school day. When visiting a high school recently during the lunch rush, I was amazed to learn that getting served quickly so that they could get a seat with their mates was the biggest factor in people deciding whether to join the fast-food queue. That choice was not about the food; it was about the social aspects of eating and the kinds of choices that young people make.

We need to listen to the experiences that young people have, understand that having food and drink is sociable and fun, and offer menus and eating experiences throughout the day that provide a healthy but exciting set of choices on a budget. It is perfectly possible to achieve that. Many schools across Scotland are getting the food culture and the sense of choice right. Programmes such as food for life, which is now being extended across Scotland to all 32 local authorities, are doing great work in helping local authorities to develop and evolve school menus over time.

I welcome the fact that, as many members have reflected, major retailers have now banned the sale of these high-caffeine, high-calorie drinks to young people under the age of 16. That is clearly the right thing to do. There is slower progress among convenience stores, with just over half voluntarily banning sales to under 16s. It takes only one local store near a school being prepared to retail energy drinks for it to become the main shop that local children will go to to buy energy drinks, and indeed other foodstuffs that might be unhealthy. The Association of Convenience Stores believes that a ban would be challenging to enforce, but it also acknowledges that the sector is already effective at enforcing age restrictions on a wide range of products, from tobacco to alcohol and fireworks to solvents.

The jury is out on whether a voluntary approach will be effective going forward, but if it is not, a legal ban should be on the cards to get energy drinks out of our school bags for good.