Narrabeen takes stand over drinks range which includes illegal product
Narrabeen North Public School (NNPS) has banned Prime drinks, which include Prime Energy, a product which contains almost double the legal limit of caffeine. The drink has already been banned in several schools in Queensland and Western Australia, with action also being taken in other countries.
Prime Energy contains 200mg of caffeine per 355mL can, and is marketed as “18 plus”. The regulating authority, Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ), prohibits drinks with a caffeine concentration of one per cent or above.
Prime Energy is not available for purchase in Australia, unlike its counterpart, Prime Hydration, which is made with coconut water. However, people can easily purchase Prime Energy online – though currently, its US site has sold out of the product.
In a recent school newsletter, NNPS principal Adam Hughes noted there had been ‘a lot of discussion’ about Prime drinks, resulting in the ban. “Students coming to school with Prime Drink (sic) will have them confiscated and returned at the end of the school day to take home,” Mr Hughes said.
Prime has gained popularity across the world following its promotion by popular You Tubers ‘KSI’ and Logan Paul, who part-own the company. The British/ American duo did a promotional tour of their energy drinks range in Australia earlier this year, causing a crowd crush when they did a live appearance on Channel 9’s Today show in North Sydney.
A spokesperson for the NSW Department of Education told Peninsula Living Pittwater that all energy drinks were banned in public schools, saying water was the recommended drink for students.
The spokesperson also pointed out that under the FSANZ Code, energy drinks required an advisory statement that they were not recommend for children. “Prime Energy carries the following statement: ‘Drink responsibly, not recommended for children under 18 years of age.’”
The FSANZ recommends a maximum caffeine intake of 3mg/kg per bodyweight a day for children, saying negative effects of caffeine in children included disturbed sleep and an increase in anxiety and depression. It recently conducted a review of permissible levels of caffeine in food and drinks, with results yet to be released.