Following the news that energy drinks will be restricted to consumers aged 16 or over in England;

Hannah Cleland, Senior Consumer Analyst at GlobalData, offers her view:

“The proposed regulation reflects a much wider regulatory shift to restrict caffeinated products, particularly for younger consumers. Alongside England, many other jurisdictions are reviewing how caffeine in marketed and sold. In March 2025, Food Standards Australia New Zealand proposed new caffeine restrictions to protect vulnerable groups. In Saudi Arabia, restaurants and cafes are now required to flag caffeine content on menus. Politicians in the US are calling for similar caffeine content disclosure, following the death of a 21-year-old student who consumed one of Panera Bread’s “Charged Lemonades”. Meanwhile, the EU banned the use of caffeine in pesticides in February.

“This wave of regulation is moving towards treating caffeine with a level of severity similar to that of nicotine, scrutinizing how it is accessed by young people in particular. Recently, vapes and nicotine pouches have been in the spotlight for their marketing, which is perceived as deliberately targeting younger consumers who are more susceptible to the risks of stimulants than older consumers. Indeed, nicotine companies that have subsequently started selling caffeine pouches instead (also known as energy pouches) are also raising the alarm in the US.

“Energy drink companies would be wise to consider a safety-first approach to caffeine as part of their social responsibility targets. A lack of transparency is a key issue, as consumers are not always aware that energy drinks can contain double or more the caffeine content in a shot of espresso. GlobalData’s 2025 Q1 survey* results suggest young consumers are even more likely than older age groups to believe caffeine has a negative impact on their health, yet these consumers account for less than a third of consumers globally.

“The prevailing attitude is that caffeine has a neutral effect on health, suggesting that greater education is needed. Many consumers are likely to consider caffeine safe in small amounts but may lack understanding of how many milligrams is ok to consume in one serving.

“Beyond transparency and responsible marketing, reformulation continues to be an area of focus. Matcha, which is having a resurgence in the food and beverage space, is believed to deliver caffeine more slowly into the body than synthetic or coffee-derived caffeine. Tenzing energy drink brand is popular for its better-for-you natural caffeine, with its market value increasing by 17.6% in the UK between 2023 and 2024 according to GlobalData.”

*GlobalData 2025 Q1 global consumer survey, 22,000 respondents across 42 countries