Hungarian lawmakers have unanimously passed a bill banning the sale and service of energy drinks to minors. The law, proposed by KDNP MPs István Hollik and Lőrinc Nacsa, was adopted on Tuesday with 174 votes in favour and no opposition or abstentions. It will take effect 30 days after its official publication, meaning that teens under 18 will no longer be able to purchase energy drinks as early as June.
The law empowers the government to define via regulation which types of energy drinks fall under the ban based on their ingredients. Stores caught violating the new rules may face a sales ban for up to a year on not just energy drinks, but also alcohol, tobacco, and adult products. Repeat offenses within three years may result in the store being shut down for up to 30 days.
According to Nacsa, the measure addresses alarming consumption rates among Hungarian youth. Studies show that 78 per cent of young people drink energy drinks, with 20 per cent of children aged 10–14 reportedly consuming them for breakfast. The law aims to curb these unhealthy habits and protect children from the drinks’ potential harms.
‘78 per cent of young people drink energy drinks, with 20 per cent of children aged 10–14 reportedly consuming them for breakfast’
The bill’s path to adoption took over a year, in part due to a notification procedure with the EU, during which the legislation faced objections from the home country of one of the world’s leading energy drink manufacturers. Hollik and Nacsa confirmed that the challenge was overcome and that Parliament succeeded in passing the bill during its spring session.
Last summer the Ministry of Justice floated a similar draft regulation for public consultation. It proposed defining energy drinks as those containing more than 15 mg of caffeine per 100 ml, or ingredients like ginseng, L-arginine, or taurine in specific amounts. That proposal, however, never became law.
Support for the bill was broad, with Fidesz–KDNP joined by opposition parties such as DK, MSZP, Momentum, Jobbik, Our Homeland, Párbeszéd, and independent MPs.
Unsurprisingly, the Hungarian Energy Drink Association (MESZ) opposed the measure. Its Secretary General Sándor Csibi called it discriminatory and inconsistent. He noted that soft drinks like cola often contain as much sugar and caffeine as energy drinks but are not subject to the same scrutiny. ‘Children drink litres of cola, yet we never see it make headlines,’ Csibi said, adding that the law will likely drive energy drinks out of vending machines, where age verification is impossible.
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