Energy Drinks

Mr FULBROOK (Playford) (15:01): My question is to the Minister for Health and Wellbeing. Can the minister update the house on the sale of highly caffeinated energy drinks in South Australia?

The Hon. C.J. PICTON (Kaurna—Minister for Health and Wellbeing) (15:01): Thank you very much to the member for Playford for his question. This is an important question because we know that unfortunately we have detected a range of energy drinks being sold in Adelaide that have almost twice the maximum regulated level of caffeine under the Food Standards Code. This is obviously at a time when South Australian students have been studying for their exams, and we are particularly concerned with the number of young kids who are consuming energy drinks in large numbers and particularly the potential health effects that that has. When you particularly see these energy drinks coming onto the market that are actually illegal, because they breach the Food Standards Code, that is obviously of concern.

We have seen a number of these that breach the Food Standards Code, specifically Standard 2.6.4, which says that the amount of caffeine allowed within these energy drinks can only be 320 milligrams of caffeine per litre. Compare that to some of the worst offending energy drinks that we have found. One that is being sold called G Fuel—which is available in a number of Adelaide stores—has flavours really attractive to kids called Fazeberry, Blue Bomber, Tetris Blast, Slushee. All of these sorts of things—

The Hon. A. Koutsantonis: Who's the Blue Bomber?

The Hon. C.J. PICTON: —that's right—are not targeted at adults, they are targeted at kids. Some of these have 300 milligrams of caffeine in a 473 millilitre can, so that's nearly double the allowable amount under the Food Standards Code. That's the equivalent of drinking nine cans of Coke or three or four coffees in the one go. That's why we are taking action. I was recently joined by the Minister for Education and the member for Cheltenham in his local electorate. We met with a number of the students at Woodville High School who raised concerns around this issue, and these are not the only ones that we have detected.

There are other ones called C4 performance energy, there's Ghost Energy Drink—that comes in flavours like Warheads, Sour Watermelon, Bubblicious, Strawberry Splash—and these contain more than is allowed legally. So because of this, SA Health have now been visiting businesses. Nineteen businesses have had inspections from the food standards team, 13 of which have been found to be selling these non-complying energy drinks. They have taken an educative approach and talked to the people who said that they weren't aware of these prohibitions in place. Most of them have taken them off the shelf; however, there are a number where follow-up enforcement is taking place, and now four warnings have been issued by SA Health officers to businesses.

They are also working with local government environmental health officers to make them aware of the situation. They are also providing information to interstate counterparts across the country. Importantly, they are also working with the federal Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, who are in control of the import controls over these. They have undertaken a number of actions, including that the federal government have now undertaken a holding order for future shipments through a number of these identified manufacturers. Therefore, the department has issued holding orders for six branded products. They will be taking action to prevent these from coming into the country.

We know the health effects of these, and we were joined by a dietician from UniSA, Dr Mantzioris, who raised concerns for under 18 year olds, particularly issues around insomnia, anxiety, depression and potentially some more serious impacts, including heart palpitations and cardiovascular problems, and ulcers and seizures can even be formed.