Saudi Arabia Imposes Partial Ban On Energy Drinks


Saudi Arabia issued Monday a partial ban on all energy drinks in the kingdom, Al Arabiya reports.

The ban would prohibit the sales of energy drinks in government offices and hospitals. It would also prevent school canteens in Saudi Arabia from selling energy drinks to students and school personnel.

The decision resulted from a cabinet meeting held Monday in Riyadh which discussed a study conducted by the Interior Ministry, exposing the “adverse effects of energy drinks”.

Aside from the ban on energy drink sales in particular locations, Saudi Arabia also forbids free distributions of any energy drink brand in the kingdom.

Energy drink companies will also be prohibited by Saudi Arabia from advertising their product on TV, radio or any type of information medium and will not be allowed to sponsor any event such as rock concerts or sports games that may lead to the promotion of their product.

Finally, energy drink suppliers will be mandated by the Saudi Arabia government to include a text on the cans and bottles of their product that warns consumers of the dangerous effects of energy drinks – similar to cigarette package warnings. These warnings would be written in both English and Arabic.

These harsh sanctions by Saudi Arabia on energy drinks are not without substantial basis. There have been many scientific reports of the harmful effects of energy drinks during the recent years. A recent study published on the Journal of Addiction Medicine concludes that teenagers who consume energy drinks are at more risk of engaging in drug-related behavior.

Other studies have seen that some energy drinks, especially those supplemented with the Guarana seeds, may contain four times the amount of caffeine than a regular cup of coffee.

Livescience also says that energy drinks have been linked to heart conditions, impaired cognition and even the risk of miscarriage.

Saudi Arabia isn’t alone in their campaign against energy drinks. Inquisitr reported May last year that the city of San Fransisco sued energy drink giant Monster for marketing their products to children. The same company was also sued by parents of teenager Anais Fournier, who allegedly died from consuming two Monster energy drinks in two days.

These new regulations on energy drink is surely not the harshest that Saudi Arabia has ever implemented. Valentines Day, all-girls gyms, music schools and women driving are all banned in Saudi Arabia.

[Images by zhang kan and dean bertoncelj / Shutterstock.com]

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