MPI told Newshub most businesses and individuals will voluntarily comply but when they don't, officers take the next step which ranges from education and advice to enforcement action and prosecution. 'If someone gets a warning and keeps selling a drink that has too much caffeine for the regulations then Ministry of Primary Industries get in contact with them, then a prosecution takes place if they don't cease to sell them,' Andersen said.

Police Minister Ginny Andersen told AM MPI can prosecute those selling the drinks in New Zealand.

'One case is too many, so I'd hate to see any child in our school, or any school, affected by these drinks,' Brown said.Īccording to Food Standards Australia New Zealand, children under 18 should have no more than 3mg of caffeine per kilogram of body weight in a single serving. In the UK, a child reportedly suffered a 'cardiac episode' and was rushed to hospital to have their stomach pumped after drinking a can. He said parents were alarmed after reading overseas media coverage about the shocking effects the drinks are having on children and decided to let the school know. Northcote Primary School principal Andrew Brown told AM a group of children, just nine and 10 years old, put their money together to purchase a can of the drink from their local shop. To put that to scale, it's the equivalent of drinking two and a half Red Bull cans.īut despite being illegal, the drink has made its way from the US and UK, and onto New Zealand's shores. Prime energy drinks contain 200mg of caffeine per 335ml serving, which exceeds the allowed caffeine limit in New Zealand which is 320mg per litre.

Caffeine supplement