Costa Coffee stores can now refuse to sell caffeinated drinks to under-16s

The chain ‘does not encourage the sale of caffeine to children’

(Getty Images/iStockphoto)

One of the UK’s most popular coffee chains has revealed its staff can now ban sales of caffeine to under 16s at their discretion.

Costa Coffee has said although there is no policy stopping children from purchasing caffeinated drinks, it “does not encourage the sale of caffeine to children” and individual stores have the ability to refuse sales depending on the context.

The company occupies 40 per cent of Britain’s coffee shop market, but its latest ruling has left some customers feeling disgruntled.

A 12-year-old girl was recently turned down when she ordered an iced coffee at a branch in Conwy, Wales, which promptly enraged her father.

“I had never heard of Costa doing this before,” he told the Bristol Post.

“This is as an occasional treat rather than regular coffee drinking and a lot of Costa drinks do seem to be aimed at younger people”.

He went on to explain that if the chain is so concerned with the health of young children that they should also consider imposing a ban on selling cakes to overweight children “because obesity is a far more serious health issue than caffeine consumption”.

A spokesperson for Costa said: “We do not encourage the sale of caffeine to children under 16 and it is at store discretion to question a customer’s age if they have any concerns.

“Our advertising is not directed at children and you must be 16 or above to own a Costa Club Card.

“Caffeine information is available upon request should a customer wish to know the level of caffeine in their favourite Costa coffee.”

The effects of caffeine vary, but a report published in January claims that more than half of people aged 12 to 24 experience adverse side effects from caffeinated energy drinks.

Published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, the study found that consuming less than two beverages a day prompted vomiting, chest pains and seizures in participants.

Other symptoms linked to energy drink consumption included difficulty sleeping, fast heartbeat, headache and nausea.

“The adverse outcomes were consistent with the physiologic effects of caffeine,” the study reads, “but were significantly more prevalent than with other sources of caffeine such as coffee, consistent with data from national adverse event databases”.