Uruguay
Promote regulating the sale of energy drinks to minors and adding health warnings
Deputy Federico Preve backed the initiative presented by María Fajardo, although he said it should include labeling, limits on marketing and information campaigns. He also warned about teenage consumption and mixing with alcohol.
The National Party deputy for Soriano María Fajardo presented a bill to prevent the sale of energy drinks to minors. According to La Diaria, the issue was discussed last week in the Special Committee on Addictions.
In that setting, Broad Front deputy Federico Preve told the program La mañana de la diaria that there is a concerning situation with these products, which internationally are referred to as non-alcoholic beverages supplemented with stimulants such as caffeine and taurine. The lawmaker said one of the main problems is the low perception of risk among consumers, who often equate them with regular soft drinks despite their possible health effects.
Preve said these drinks have harmful potential, an addictive component and a strong association with alcohol consumption. He explained that while alcohol ends up causing drowsiness, energy drinks produce the opposite effect and keep the person alert. In that combination, he added, the evidence shows cases of alcohol intoxication with higher levels of alcohol.
According to La Diaria, the deputy said consumption is especially high among adolescents: he said that practically eight out of ten have tried them and that more than half mix them with alcohol. He also questioned marketing campaigns that link them to better sports, work or academic performance, and warned that they can cause insomnia, tremors, tachycardia and arrhythmia.
Regarding the bill, Preve considered the ban on sales to minors to be appropriate, but said the law should be broader. He proposed including warnings on packaging about excess caffeine and other substances with harmful potential, as well as regulating promotional elements to prevent them from being associated with performance improvements. In his view, regulation should be completed with public campaigns so that consumption is carried out with greater information.
The lawmaker also noted, according to La Diaria, that the weight of business lobbying is strong and that there have already been calls and requests for meetings as a result of this type of initiative.
In the same interview, Preve referred to the two-year extension of the intervention of Casmu and its access to the Guarantee Fund for the Restructuring of Liabilities of Collective Medical Assistance Institutions. He said the resolution brought peace of mind to users and workers and that it can give the mutual association a medium-term financial horizon.
According to his explanation, part of the requested amount was made conditional on a capitalization plan by the capitalizing partners, a point that generated criticism from medical groups such as the Sindicato Médico del Uruguay. Preve said there are differences there, since those doctors are also workers. Finally, he added, an 8% contribution of the total was agreed over four years, subject to an assembly of the professionals, with an average of 100 dollars per month. If that contribution is made, they will also be able to access an additional 12 million dollars in the Guarantee Fund.
Sources
About this note. Written by El Notero with assistance from artificial intelligence, based on what was published by the cited outlet. El Notero did not do its own reporting on this event.
