Inside the CDU/CSU parliamentary group in the Bundestag a dispute is unfolding over a proposed sales restriction for caffeinated soft drinks. The federal faction, led by Johannes Steiniger-his spokesperson for nutrition policy-has rejected a motion put forward by the Schleswig‑Holstein state association of the CDU. Steiniger told the newspaper “Welt am Sonntag” that an age limit for energy drinks would not serve any additional purpose. He cited a study by the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment, which found that chronic, high‑level consumption of energy drinks by the examined youth sample did not affect heart health. “An age limit is therefore not, for good reasons, included in the coalition agreement” he said.
In contrast, Sebastian Lechner, chair of the CDU state association in Lower Saxony, announced that he would campaign for an age restriction at the CDU federal convention at the end of February in Stuttgart. Lechner stated, “The protection of children and adolescents must be our priority. Energy drinks contain high amounts of sugar and caffeine, which demonstrably pose health risks-from sleep disturbances and nervousness to long‑term consequences such as overweight and metabolic diseases. For this reason it is right to limit the sale of highly caffeinated and sugary energy drinks to those under 16 and to send a clear preventive signal”.
Opposition to the age limit comes from the CDU state chairs of Mecklenburg‑Vorpommern and Rhineland‑Palatinate. The debate was triggered by the motion from the Schleswig‑Holstein CDU, which intends to submit a proposal for a sales age restriction for energy drinks at the upcoming CDU party conference.
