In a press release on Thursday, the director of the Consumer Council, Inger Lise Blyverket, addresses the Minister of Health and Care Ingvild Kjerkol in plain text: – I trust that Ingvild Kjerkol will see past the advice of the inspectorate, says Blyverket. Director of the Consumer Council, Inger Lise Blyverket, is critical of the Norwegian Food Safety Authority’s recommendations. Photo: John Trygve Tollefsen She is referring to the Norwegian Food Safety Authority’s recommendations for measures to limit consumption of energy drinks by children and young people. It was handed over to the Ministry of Health and Care in December 2023. Minister Ingvild Kjerkol has not responded to news’s inquiry. Instead, the ministry responds. Read the answer below. Want less intrusive decisions In the report, the Norwegian Food Safety Authority writes that, after an overall assessment, they do not recommend restrictions such as an age limit for who should be able to buy and sell energy drinks. It may then look like they have turned around since 2019. Then they said that a statutory age limit should be considered if intake increased among children and young people. It has done so, according to, among other things, a recent report from the Institute of Public Health. – We had similar recommendations in 2019 as we have now. We completely agree that the consumption of energy drinks among children and young people must decrease. It is extremely important, says section manager for chemical food safety at the Norwegian Food Safety Authority, Are Sletta. Head of section for chemical food safety at the Norwegian Food Safety Authority, Are Sletta. Photo: The Norwegian Food Safety Authority – Our mission was to assess all possible measures that can reduce caffeine intake. Then it is up to us as an administrative authority to start with the least intrusive measures first, he continues. news has repeatedly requested an interview with Minister Ingvild Kjerhol. The ministry has received several questions which they do not want to answer. See the questions below. Instead, State Secretary Ole Henrik Krat Bjørkholt writes that “on a general basis, the government is concerned about the increasing use of energy drinks among children and young people”. State Secretary Ole Henrik Krat Bjørkholt in the Ministry of Health and Care. Photo: Esten Borgos – We will familiarize ourselves well with the recommendations the Norwegian Food Safety Authority makes and the reasons for these, writes Bjørkholt in an e-mail. The report is one of several that the ministry will have to look at before reaching a conclusion, he continues. news’s question to the Minister: What do you say to the Consumer Council’s call to the Minister of Health? The Consumer Council is very clear in its criticism of the Norwegian Food Safety Authority, recommendation of a 16-year age limit and call for Kjerkol. How would you rate the Consumer Council’s recommendation? How should the recommendations from the Norwegian Food Safety Authority that came in in December be assessed? What is the next step in the proceedings? What is the status of the decision in the Storting from May to introduce a ban on the sale of energy drinks to children under the age of 16? Where does the Minister of Health stand on the question of the age limit, and when can we see a result? The majority of younger people drink energy drinks A new report from the Norwegian Institute of Public Health, which the Norwegian Food Safety Authority is familiar with, shows that energy drinks have become common from the age of 13. 58 per cent of pupils at secondary school and 72 per cent at upper secondary school drink energy drinks. While the Storting won a majority to introduce a 16-year age limit for the purchase of energy drinks in May, and the expert group that provides dietary advice to the Directorate of Health proposes an 18-year age limit, the Norwegian Food Safety Authority recommends “a general raising of knowledge about energy drinks and caffeine among children, young people and adults alike”. In addition to, among other things, restrictions on marketing to young people. – What do you put in “general knowledge raising” here? – Caffeine can have adverse effects on children and young people, and is also not intended for children and young people, so the idea is that an increased level of knowledge will help to limit and prevent negative health consequences from high caffeine intake. It can be several things: Compulsory or voluntary. Some can be done by the industry itself, some can be done by the authorities, says Sletta. Will not discriminate The Norwegian Food Safety Authority writes in the recommendation that measures that do not “differentiate” foods with a high caffeine content are recommended before measures that only apply to energy drinks. – Why shouldn’t energy drinks be treated differently, when they are popular among and used by children and young people, in contrast to, for example, coffee? – There are many products out there that contain caffeine. There is also iced coffee, iced tea, cocoa and other readily available goods that contain caffeine. We recommend closer monitoring to find out what proportion comes from energy drinks, says Sletta in the Norwegian Food Safety Authority. He emphasizes that it is entirely up to the Ministry of Health and Care which recommendations they will follow. In its report, FHI recommends a monitoring program to monitor the consumption of caffeinated food and drinks among children and young people. This is supported by the Norwegian Food Safety Authority.
ttn-69
Asks the Minister of Health to overlook the Norwegian Food Safety Authority’s advice on energy drinks – news Norway – Overview of news from different parts of the country
