Letter from Jenny Oldroyd, Deputy Director, Obesity, Food and Nutrition, Department of Health and Social Care (END0041)

Thank you for inviting me to give evidence at the Science and Technology Committee’s evidence session on energy drinks on 10 July. I would like to thank you and the Committee for launching an inquiry on this important issue.

During the session I made the point that research suggests children eligible for free school meals are more likely to consume energy drinks than those who are not eligible. I agreed to provide the committee with the source for this data.

In 2015, the Department of Health and Social Care commissioned Professor Fiona Brooks, Dr Elene Klemera, and Josefine Magnusson at the University of Hertfordshire to analyse survey results relating to the consumption of energy drinks from the WHO’s Health Behaviour in School-aged Children survey (HBSC).

Amongst other findings, the analysis suggests that there is an association between receipt of free school meals and consumption of energy drinks. Specifically, the analysis suggests that children on free school meals are disproportionately likely to drink energy drinks frequently.

The paper has now been published and is available to read here: http://researchprofiles.herts.ac.uk/portal/en/publications/young-people-and-energy-drink-consumption(adbc8fdd-9be9-4e67-8013-8554f3215192).html

I hope you will find this information helpful.

5 September 2018