Mary Mitchell O'Connor (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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To ask the Minister for Health his plans to ban the sale of high energy drinks similar to Denmark, Turkey and Uruguay due to reported cases of liver damage, kidney failure, seizures, confusion and arrhythmia associated with energy drink use; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40900/12]

Mary Mitchell O'Connor (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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To ask the Minister for Health if he is considering restricting the sale of high energy drinks due to reported cases of liver damage, kidney failure, seizures, confusion and arrhythmia associated with energy drink use similar to Norway which prohibits the sale of these drinks to those under 15 years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40901/12]

James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 193 and 194 together.

I am taking the Deputy's reference to "energy drinks" to relate to "stimulant drinks". The Food Safety Promotion Board (FSPB) commissioned independent, scientific research into the effects of stimulant 'energy' drinks in 2002. One of the main issues to arise out of the report was the need for labelling of stimulant drinks, especially for groups with special considerations. The groups identified were women who are pregnant and children under 16 years of age. The report also recommended that labels should contain warnings that the drink was unsuitable for consumption with alcohol and as a re-hydration agent during sport and exercise.

Following this report, my Department wrote to the EU Commission proposing that 'taurine' (an ingredient found in stimulant drinks) be made subject to Community scrutiny. Following a request from the Commission, the Panel on Food Additives and Nutrient Sources in the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) carried out an evaluation on the safety-in-use of taurine and d-glucurononolactone as constituents of the so-called “energy” drinks. In 2009 they adopted a scientific opinion concluding that exposure to these ingredients through regular consumption of energy drinks was not a safety concern. These constituents occur naturally at much lower levels as natural ingredients in food, and are also normal human metabolites. They are used at much higher levels and in combination with different ingredients in energy drinks.

My Department has contacted the EU Commission and they are unaware of any proposal to ban the sale of such products in either Denmark or Turkey.

Labelling legislation is harmonised throughout Europe and it is not open to individual Member States to unilaterally change the labelling of drinks products. However, I should point out that many of the recommendations in the FSPB report regarding labelling have been addressed by changes to the EU Labelling Regulations which now require the mandatory labelling of high caffeine content and suitability warnings for children and pregnant women for foods and beverages exceeding specified caffeine thresholds.