 The final item of business is members' business debate on motion 11357, in the name of Graham Day, on banning the sales of energy drinks to under-16s. Sorry, that debate will be concluded without any questions being put. May I ask those who wish to speak in the debate to press requests to speak buttons? I call on Graham Day to open the debate for around seven minutes, please, Mr Day. Let me begin by thanking those colleagues from across the chamber for supporting my motion and allowing this debate to take place. I think that that support reflects the genuine interest that there is in halting the sale of energy drinks to under-16s and the recognition of the negative impact upon young people that there is of consuming those liquids. Like colleagues, I have been away for some years now of a desire and I need to restrict the sale of highly caffeinated energy drinks to miners. My own interest goes back to 2015, when the campaign group responsible for retailing of energy drinks brought their concerns to the Parliament of Memory Serves. It was our former colleague Sarah Boyack who facilitated the event here for them. I have already been hearing anecdotally of the impact consumption was having on secondary school pupils in my constituency of Angus South. While secondary schools in Angus operated in line with 2014 Scottish Government guidance to disallow the sale of energy drinks within their premises, I was hearing from teacher friends of pupils hitting off-campus during the lunch break, consuming those drinks and returning to disrupt afternoon classes, offering a perspective on the problem that one teacher told me. It is bad enough when you have one 15-year-old boy playing up. Imagine what it is like to try to control and teach a class when you have two or three. Three years on, I am delighted to see the growing recognition of the problem that those drinks pose when consumed by youngsters and understanding assisted by the Courier of Newspapers canic campaign. Scotland's major supermarkets voluntarily restricts the sale of energy drinks only to those aged over 16. Just this week, I heard from a head teacher of the significance of the problem that is remaining in our schools. He noted that the only way to describe how one pupil he had encountered recently after she consumed some of those drinks was that she was like a wild animal. A few months ago, following announcements from Asda, Sainsbury's, Morrison's, Aldi and Waitrose, that they were voluntarily ceasing sales to under-16s, I wrote to the other large supermarkets, urging them to follow that lead. I was pleased to receive responses from all those businesses revealing that they would be doing so. Poundland, Boots and W.H. Smith have also embraced that approach. That is a hugely positive step in the right direction, and I hope that we can all of us tonight welcome it. Supermarkets tend to attract a deal of criticism. Often merited it should be said, but when they prove themselves capable of responsible retailing, we ought to give them credit where it is due. However, just as important as the restrictions introduced by our largest stores was the decision of the National Federation of Retail News Agents to encourage their members to follow suit. The Federation's 1,500 independent Scottish retailers are now strongly encouraged to introduce the voluntary restrictive measures. The voluntary measures that have been adopted by supermarkets in the NFRN should help to reduce the negative impacts that energy drinks have and have had within our schools, not to mention the health of youngsters. Growing public concern on the issue from a health perspective is well-founded. In 2016, the British Medical Journal published a report covering 400 studies into the consumption of energy drinks among 11 to 18-year-olds. The BMJ's report found strong links between young people's consumption of energy drinks and a higher risk of symptoms of poor health, such as headache, stomach aches, hyperactivity and insomnia. Similarly, in 2014, researchers from the World Health Organization created a narrative on the current literature on the health risks of energy drink consumption. Their work agreed that there is, and I quote, a proven negative effect of caffeine on children. Continuing the report stated, and I quote again, that there is the potential for a significant public health problem. The WHO researchers agreed that public concern was broadly valid and recommended a restriction in energy drink sales to adolescents. Following a further report published by the European Food Safety Authority in 2013 that found that 68 per cent of adolescents regularly consume energy drinks with an average intake of seven litres a month, the EU's Health and Food Safety Commissioner at the time made clear that he would consider a move to ban the sale to miners. It was the first time data had been collected at European level to track consumption among children and adolescents. On the back of those findings, Lithuania became the first EU nation to ban the sale of energy drinks to miners, with Latvia following soon after imposing similar measures. However, it needs to be recognised that there have been successful legal challenges mounted elsewhere, in France, for example, when bans have been introduced. The EU celebrity chef Jamie Oliver is campaigning for such a move UK-wide. He wrote to me a few weeks back, coming out of suggestions, and I might be minded to bring forward a member's bill to that effect in Scotland. Given the momentum behind retailers and other businesses taking voluntary measures, I understand that the Orion Cinema Group and the Petrol station chain Shell have also now ceased selling energy drinks to under-16s. I am not inclined to do that at this time. We should, I think, take time to consider both the challenges and the possible benefits that legal restrictions on the sale of energy drinks to under-16s could encounter, not to mention the extent to which voluntary action might actually get us where we need to go on this issue. Although, sitting alongside that, all of us should actively engage with other retailers and businesses who currently sell such liquid to under-16s, seeking to control, persuade and encourage them to follow where others have already chosen to go. Would it not be great if we could reach our destination without the need for legislation? However, I do believe that there is an accompanying role here for Government in further raising awareness of the detrimental health impacts of under-16s consuming these drinks, targeting the youthful consumers, their parents and those selling them who have not yet seen the light, as it were, and would, for example, the forthcoming obesity strategy, offer a platform for doing that and perhaps providing guidance for retailers around the issue. The consumption of these drinks crosses a number of health areas. Today in Scotland, 29 per cent of children are obese or overweight, and almost a third of our primary school children have obvious dental decay. Restricting the sale of energy drinks that are not only high in caffeine but, in many cases, are also rammed full of sugar to Scotland's young people can play a part in establishing a healthier diet for the future of our nation. Given the substantial public and media interest in the issue, even if the co-operation of retailers means introducing a ban ultimately is judged unnecessary, I do not believe that that is going away any time soon. As I said, I think that, away from any longer-term legislative solutions, there has to be a role for us as politicians in highlighting it and encouraging other retailers to self-restrain. We can also engage with our local authorities in their armed lens leather leisure organisations to ensure that they are not allowing access to these drinks. Some of them, I know, have taken such action. There is no harm in double-checking the extent to which that is the case. We may still need to encourage the supermarkets who have taken the right policy decision to ensure that it is filtering through to the store level. Just yesterday, I was told of a supermarket in Edinburgh where the sale to under-16s may still be going on. That said, Presiding Officer, I am hopeful on this matter. Awareness and understanding is growing, and supermarkets and others have shown welcome responsibility on it. Our takeaway from tonight should be to spread the word and find ways of encouraging others to follow suit. We move to the open debate. The speeches have up to four minutes, please. Brian Whittle to be followed by Maree Gougeon. Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer, and I thank Graham Dave for securing time in the Parliament to debate this. I think that it is a hugely important topic that has ramifications across many other debates that we have in here. This first came to light for me when, funnily enough, standing outside a polling station in Darvel, where opposite to the polling station, the kids were all catching the bus to go to school. Being the anorac that I am in this particular arena, I was noting what the kids were eating on the way in, away to the bus stop. I noticed a young child with a can of this energy drink along with a huge bag of fizzy sweets and eating and drinking on the way to the bus stop. What kind of state would that child be in when he sat down for his first class at 9 o'clock and then looked at what everybody else was eating in the queue? Not many of them were eating a fruit salad, or something similar. It is an issue that we need to discuss. There is a tension between restricting what our children need and allowing them the freedom to choose. That is probably where the debate should be, because all of us would agree that those kinds of energy drinks are inherently bad, especially at the younger age group. One of the things that I wanted to highlight is the need for us to consider this in the round to consider Scotland's relationship with food, drink and physical activity and how we impact that. There is an impact on health both physically and mentally. I wanted, especially after today's debate, to highlight a quote that I was going to say from a doctor, David Kingdon, who is a professor of healthcare delivery at the University of Southampton when he said, ìCan we prevent mental health problems? Of course, the evidence is incontrovertible, so why don't we, the problems often start in childhood, but we spend most of our resources on dealing with the consequences in hospital and in prisons?î We should consider this in the general health issue. The other thing that I wanted to quote was from the mental health foundation presentation, Food for Thought, when it said one of the most obvious unrecognised factors in the development of mental health is nutrition. There is a growing body of evidence indicating that nutrition may play an important part in the role of prevention, development and management of diagnosed mental health problems, including depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, ADHD and dementia. There is a growing recognition that there is something to tackle, but in banning a product in and of itself is not the solution, so I would like to see it as part of a much wider strategy. In the two years that I have been here, there is more and more focus coming on to this particular topic, and there are dots out there. If we start to change, I think that it could lead us to a different pathway, not just in banning those drinks. We are looking at a beastie strategy that is coming out of schoon. We are all looking at a good food nation strategy. We are looking at how we procure food as well. I think that there are a lot of the elements that can help us to deliver a healthier Scotland. As you know, Presiding Officer, I could talk about this stuff forever and ever. In fact, it is all I have got to do. I think that it is also just to finish that we also need to be cognisant of our planning, the environment around our schools. One of the things that we should be considering is what age do we allow our children to leave school? At dinner time, as I said, I have never understood teaching them health in school, when I am opening the gates and allowing them to walk across the road and by having access to those things. There are lots of moving parts on this. I thank you for Graham Day for bringing this to the chamber. I think that it is an element of a much wider strategy, and I would support it. Again, I echo what Brian Whittle said and start by thanking Graham Day for securing the debate today on such an important subject. We have to take a serious look at it. That is where I agree with what Brian Whittle said in his speech. It is not just the case of looking at a ban as a solution in itself. It is all the wider things around that and the environment around our schools. I completely agree with those arguments. The debate is also very timely for me. I decided to enter it because I was listening to an interview on radio 2 last week with Jan Halper Hayes. Her son Matthew died after consuming a considerable volume of energy drinks with alcohol aged only 19. He is believed to have caused a blood clot in the arteries of his lungs, which killed him instantly. I know that that is not directly related to the motion today, but it is because of that and because of the dangers that those drinks pose and the effect that they have, particularly on our young people, that I wholeheartedly support Graham Day's motion in welcoming the actions that have been taken so far by the national federation of retail news agents and major supermarkets and encourage all retailers to ban the sale of energy drinks to under-16s. According to research from 2016, the UK has the second-highest consumption of energy drinks per head in the world and that is second only to Austria, which is the home of Red Bull. Sales of them in the UK increased by 155 per cent between 2006 and 2014. A number of studies have been undertaken to assess the impact of energy drinks on young people. One in particular by Hutan and Et al in 2013 looked at data from over 10,000 adolescents in Finland. That study found that daily consumption of energy drinks was strongly associated with four caffeine-induced health complaints—headaches, sleeping problems, irritation, tiredness and fatigue. A similar study in Iceland, with over 11,000 children—this time aged between 10 and 12—found that instances of headaches, stomach pains and sleeping problems generally increased, where reported consumption of energy drinks increased. Those symptoms caused by energy drinks have been clear for those working in our schools to see and for quite a long time now. Forfer Academy, in my constituency, was the first school in Angus and one of the first across the country to ban energy drinks on its grounds. That was instigated by former headteacher, Milvyn Lynch, in 2016, who had written to the parents stating that it is our opinion that those drinks are a danger to the health of our young people and that they contain no nutritional benefits. In addition to those health risks, we are also extremely concerned about the effect that those drinks are having on the behaviour of our young people. They can cause conflict with staff when pupils are advised that they should not be consuming those drinks in classes. We have also had occasions where pupils who have consumed energy drinks have been involved in more serious incidents that have led to exclusion. Although energy drinks are not solely to blame for that in discipline, we believe that they are a contributory factor. That view has since been shared and implemented more widely by all schools in Angus and across Scotland who do not allow those drinks on their grounds, as well as by small and large retailers alike. However, although all those issues are bad enough in and of themselves, there are a number of serious health risks associated with excessively high caffeine consumption, palpitations, hypertension, nausea, vomiting, metabolic acidosis, convulsions and, in rare cases, even death. A study that was published in the journal of the American Heart Association found in a controlled trial that energy drinks can cause potentially harmful changes to heart function and to blood pressure. Those are the dangers associated with the caffeine content of those drinks alone. That is before we add the added impact of the high sugar levels, as well as the impact when those drinks are combined with physical activity or with alcohol, such as in the tragic case of Matthew Halkler Hayes that I mentioned earlier. The effects of energy drink consumption simply cannot be ignored. One of the UK's largest teaching unions described energy drinks as readily available legal highs. With all the devastating impact that legal highs had on people's lives, we acted on it and we have to do something here. We need to act now to prevent the immediate impacts that those drinks have on our young people and others who consume them regularly in excessive amounts, but also to prevent what could be a serious public health problem further down the line. That is why I am happy to support Graham Day's motion. I thank Graham Day for bringing this important issue to the chamber and for the content of his speech. Issues surrounding possible health risks for young people in Scotland are not something to be taken lightly. I am encouraged by the cross-party support that is on the issue. In the past few years, the volume of energy drinks consumed in the UK has increased enormously. I have a different set of statistics to marry Gougeon, but they tell the same story. The British Nutrition Foundation tells us that consumption has increased from 463 million litres in 2010 to a staggering 672 million litres in 2016, and the figures are continuing to go the wrong way. The Foundation also established that UK adolescents consumed the highest amount of energy drinks out of 16 EU countries surveyed, with teenagers drinking something like 3.1 litres a month compared to the EU average of 2 litres. That is a staggering 50 per cent more. If Scottish young people were leading the way in the consumption of any other product that had such adverse effects on their health, there would be public outcry and robust legislative change. What is it about energy drinks that we are so willing to ignore the hazards of? Let me at the outset praise the actions of retailers. Graham Day listed many of them in my constituency, Waitrose, Morrison's, Asda and Aldi. They have all taken it upon themselves to ban the sale of those drinks to under-16s. Although welcome, that is, it should not necessarily be voluntary in nature. The EU food information regulation requires drinks that contain caffeine at a level of over 150 milligrams per litre to state so on the label to say that high caffeine content is not recommended for children or breastfeeding women. Caffeine, we know, can have adverse effects on our mental health, on the behaviours of young people and, indeed, others. Labelling is clear about the impact, but I think that there is a case for going further and I would be interested in exploring that. The health risks of having too much caffeine for anyone at any age are widely known. We have had debates in this chamber before about caffeinated alcohol, creating wired, wider-weight drunks, and the mix of caffeine and alcohol, frankly, is deadly. Why, then, do we allow a child to walk into some shops and purchase a can of monster, which comes in at a whopping 338.1 milligrams per litre, or red bull, with its 319.8 milligrams of caffeine per litre? The level of caffeine on a young and still developing body can have major neurological and cardiovascular side effects. Excessive caffeine consumption, which, drinking just one energy drink would be classed as, can cause interrupted sleep, anxiety and behavioural changes. Speaking as both the parent and the politician, those are not traits that any of us want to see in our young people as they are growing, as they are learning and, indeed, as they are sitting exams, which will have a huge impact on their future. It is vital that drinks that have had caffeine added to them for effectively a physiological side effect are regulated, both in terms of who can buy them and how much caffeine is allowed. There may be ways around regulation, but we need to turn our attention to that. Mary Gougeon pointed out that the same worries exist for the quantities of sugar found in those drinks. The combination of sugar, caffeine and artificial additives creates a cocktail of both short- and long-term health risks. Food nutrition foundations found that if a 16-year-old were to consume just one can of an energy drink in a day, they would have already exceeded the daily recommended sugar intake for that day. Let me illustrate that. One can of the energy drink, Rockstar, has 20 teaspoons of sugar in it—just one can. We already have an epidemic of childhood obesity in the country, and that will continue to rise. It is the equivalent of three bars of chocolate, sitting and eating three bars of chocolate in one go, and we are complicit in the consumption of energy drinks. In coming to a conclusion, I welcome the voluntary action by the supermarkets and others, but I think that Government has a role in education and awareness raising, in labelling, in age restrictions, in changing the recipe indeed and limiting the amount of caffeine that is there. In conclusion, let me thank Graham Day again for raising—I know two conclusions, Presiding Officer—awarness of this important issue in the chamber. Thank you, Presiding Officer. Can I join other members in thanking Graham Day for bringing forward this topic for debate? I think that this has become a bit of a touchstone issue. Many people have written to me about it, and I think that in many ways the issue of energy drinks is a bit of an indicator about the health of our wider food culture as well. It also brings into sharp focus the responsibilities of food companies, the responsibilities of public institutions and retailers as well, and the kind of action that we need to take on the back of that. I can also join members in congratulating the courier on their CANET campaign to get energy drinks banned from schools. I was delighted to back the campaign when it launched back in 2016, and since then, schools across Courier country, from Blair Gary High to Wade academy, have been backing the ban. The campaign has brought a much-needed debate about the health impacts of those drinks in classrooms, but it has also opened up a welcome talking point around diet within many families, including my own. It is clear that energy drinks are not recommended for children. In fact, as we have heard already, every CAN states that exactly on its side. No wonder, because regular consumption of high-calorie, high-caffeine energy drinks has been linked to anxiety, behavioural disorders, nausea, tooth decay, obesity and even breathing difficulties. It must be a nightmare to teach a class fuelled on energy drinks, and it cannot be a good environment to learn in either. I am pleased that the drive for a ban in schools has been coming not just from the teachers, but also from the pupils. The origin of those drinks comes from their use in extreme sports, long-distance driving, tiring working environments, where they have been designed as an artificial fix for flagging concentrations and fatigue. They obviously should not be the daily breakfast on the way to school, yet we can all see the empty cans and bottles littering our communities. There was a time when a bowl of ready breakfast was a breakfast with magical energy-boosting properties, but it seems no more. Of course, food and drink is a complex issue for young people. It is not just about taste, it is about the social aspect of school lunch times, as well as the social aspect of the start and end of the day. I was amazed when visiting a high school recently how the rush to get served quick and get a seat with your mates at lunch time was the biggest factor in whether to join the fast food queue or not. It was not actually about the food, it was more about the social aspect of eating and the choices that young people make. We need to listen to the experiences that young people have, understand that food and drink is sociable and fun, and also offer menus and eating experiences throughout the day that provide a healthy but exciting set of choices on a budget. It is perfectly possible to achieve this. There are many schools across Scotland that are getting the food culture right, that are getting the sense of choice right, and programmes such as Food for Life, which is now being extended across Scotland to all 32 local authorities, are doing great work in helping local authorities and school menus development evolve over time. I welcome that, as many members have reflected on, major retailers have now banned the sale of high-calorie drinks to young people under the age of 16. That is clearly the right thing to do. With convenience stores, there is perhaps slower progress with just over half voluntarily banning sales to under 16s. Of course, it only takes one local store near a school that is prepared to retail energy drinks for that supplier then to become the main shop that local children will go to to buy energy drinks and indeed other food stuffs as well that are perhaps unhealthy. The association of convenience stores believes that such a ban would be challenging to enforce, but it also acknowledges that the sector is already effective at enforcing age restrictions on a wide range of products from tobacco to alcohol, fireworks and solvents. I think that the jury is out on whether a voluntary approach will be effective going forward, but if it is not and it does not prove its worth, then a legal ban should be on the cards to get energy drinks out of our school bags for good. Bruce Crawford, to be followed by Alison Harris. Thank you, Presiding Officer. Like others, I sincerely thank my friend and colleague Graham Day for bringing this debate to the chamber. This is an important issue and I would like to see that it gathered support from MSPs of most parties represented in this Parliament. I remember vividly a parliamentary by-election in Aberdeen a number of years ago. A few of us—indeed a number of us—fuelled ourselves on copious amounts of one particular energy drink. I will not be discourteous and mention the name of that particular drink. Nevertheless, despite the branding, nobody on the campaign team appeared to notice the wings that I had sprouted. Once the campaign team day was over, I and others had fuelled ourselves thoroughly with this stuff to get us through some very, very long days. However, what happened was that we experienced headaches and lightheadedness, and that was a group of us. It was that moment that I truly became very aware of the damaging impact that this stuff was having on my person, and goodness knows what it was doing to others. It has long been my view that high-cavenated food and drink products should not be consumed by children and young people. It is clear to me—and I know to many others members—that the artificial increase in a person's pulse rate through chemical induction, because that is what it is, cannot be good for anyone. Never mind a person still on their stages of development. Graham Day spoke of the experiences that teachers in his constituency have had in regard to disruptive pupils who were sold energy drinks down the street at lunchtime. I confirm to him that that is not just a problem in South Angus, or Angus South, to be more precise. Teachers in my constituency in Stirling know all too well of the detrimental effect of energy drinks on the behaviour of children and young people. What a potentially devastating prospect that this is is that education experiences of children and young people are being impacted on by potentially dangerous and high levels of caffeine and even toorain buzzing about in their systems. As we have heard before, a report from the British Medical Journal has previously mentioned the debate, citing links between the consumption of energy drinks with higher rates of headaches, stomach aches, hyperactivity and insomnia. The physical damage that is being done through perpetual headaches and stomach aches alongside altering the pace of a person's heart is bad enough. However, it is now clear that induced hyperactivity and insomnia can pose a real risk to a person's mental health as a result of consumption of the stuff. The young people who are still developing through their teenagers years in particular are vulnerable. Indeed, research at the World Health Organization agrees that there is a proven negative effect of caffeine on children. The same researchers mentioned quite rightly and highlighted by Graham Day's members' motion that recommended the sale of energy drinks to children and adolescents ought to be restricted. How do we tackle that problem? All retailers from supermarkets to corner shops should take the lead. I am delighted that some shops in my old constituency have done so. I passed a self-service check-out in a local supermarket just last week, and there was a rather irritated gentleman who was just waiting to purchase his energy drinks. He took a few additional seconds to do so, because the checks had to be carried out. Now, I can understand that he was irritated. Some consumers will oppose those moves. They want their shopping experience to be as smooth as possible. That is understandable, but that inconvenience pales in the significance of the potential impact that energy drinks are having on the health and education of our children and young people. That is a necessary measure, and I encourage more retailers in my constituency to take a lead on that. That is a start, but for the good of our children and young people, let us do more. That might include, in the long term, the need for legislation, albeit reluctantly, if supermarkets and stores come at the level of voluntary action. Once again, I thank Graeme Dey for bringing this important matter to the chamber for debate this evening. Alison Harris has the last of the open debate contributions. Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer, and I also thank Graeme Dey for bringing this hugely important debate to the chamber this evening. There is absolutely no doubt that energy drinks are a billion-dollar industry, and their popularity keeps growing despite health concerns. We have heard tonight across the chamber the effects of those energy drinks and the dangers that they pose, particularly for children and teens. In fact, I think that we have probably heard everything that I am about to say tonight across the chamber, but I am going to proceed in any case. Energy drinks typically contain large amounts of caffeine, added sugars, other additives and legal stimulants, and it is those legal stimulants that can increase alertness, attention and energy, as well as increasing blood pressure, heart rate and breathing. Those drinks are often used by students to provide that extra boost in energy. However, the stimulants in those drinks can have a harmful effect on the nervous system. The potential dangers of energy drinks include dehydration, heart complications such as irregular heartbeat and heart failure, anxiety and insomnia. Studies have shown that children who consume moderate amounts of caffeine before physical activity can have elevated blood pressure while in extreme cases involving adults excessive consumption has led to death. Children and teenagers are being deceived into drinking large cans of energy drinks, thinking that they are going to improve their performance at school or during a sports event, but in reality it is more likely to increase their risk of developing obesity, type 2 diabetes and dental cavities, which will have lifelong implications on their health. I found it very disturbing that the results of a recent study revealed that energy drink consumers are unaware of the products' main ingredients, health implications or appropriate serving sizes. It is children and teenagers who are our main consumers of energy drinks, and it is those same children who are being subjected to those unacceptably high levels of sugar and caffeine. The average sugar content of an energy drink is more than the entire recommended daily maximum for an adult in the UK. That is damning in itself, but what about the children who drink several of those drinks throughout the course of a day? Energy drinks are marketed for general consumption rather than for athletes who are targeted with so-called sports drinks. Despite energy drinks with high caffeine levels having to carry a warning that they are not recommended for children or pregnant women, a study recently found that 43 products carrying such warnings contain the caffeine equivalent of nearly two cups of coffee and a survey involving, as we have heard, 16 European countries, including the UK, found that 68 per cent of 11 to 18-year-olds and 18 per cent of children aged 10 and under consume energy drinks. With 11 per cent of the older group and 12 per cent of children overall drinking at least one litre at a time, it is utter madness. Teachers and health professionals have expressed concerns about youngsters relying on the drinks, even to start the day as a substitute for breakfast or in a packed lunch, and a survey carried out by the Make My Milk campaign revealed that one in 20 teenage pupil regularly goes to school on a can of an energy drink instead of tucking into a good breakfast. Chef Jamie Oliver has campaigned for quite some time now to see higher standards of meals as well as scrutinising packed lunches. He has repeatedly criticised high energy drinks and famously said on the subject that, I challenge you to go to any school and open 50 lunch boxes and I guarantee you there will be one or two cans of Red Bull. He has repeatedly voiced serious concern that those drinks are turning our kids into addicts, referencing teachers having to plan lessons around high students. I think that Jamie summed the selling of those energy drinks to children very effectively when he claimed that children are relying on energy drinks to give them the boost that they need to get up in the morning, then they experience a low when the effects of the sugar and caffeine wear off, so they have another in the afternoon before finishing off the day with a final can. That yoyo of highs and lows makes youngsters feel lethargic the next morning, prompting them to reach for another energy drink and the cycle begins again. I find the facts around the content of energy drinks and the ease at which young people can access them very alarming. I congratulate all the major supermarkets that have been instrumental in supporting the banning of the sales of energy drinks to under-16s and again a huge thanks to those independent retailers in Scotland who have supported the ban. Deputy Presiding Officer, can I once again acknowledge and thank everyone within the retail sector who have pledged to implement this ban? Thank you. I ask Aileen Campbell to wind up the debate, please, for around seven minutes. Thank you, Presiding Officer. Like others this evening, I also congratulate Graham Day on bringing this issue before us in the Parliament. Mr Day has long campaigned on the subject for many years, both in Angus and nationally, and it is in part thanks to him that we are now seeing a welcome shift in the approach of retailers to the sale of those drinks. He has truly, I think, rolled up his sleeves and got on with helping to kick-start a shift to encourage responsible retailing and improving our nation's health. I again underline my thanks to Graham Day for bringing this motion to give us all a chance and opportunity to talk about our concerns and where possible solutions lie. Many others across the chamber have also been involved in showing real leadership. I have thoroughly appreciated the constructive tone of the debate and the views and the thoughts and the ideas that members have shared with us. Brian Whittle also noted that he saw a polling station. Similarly, it was a political theme on which we heard from Bruce Crawford, who suggested that he grew some wings to go and continue with his canvassing. That might explain why he is so fleet at getting up those closest when we are out canvassing, but, hopefully, he just sticks to good old-fashioned soup and a cup of coffee or cup of tea at the next by-election, wherever that may be. Of course, that is a topic that is of significant concern to our society, especially to parents, teachers and young people. As I am a parent as well, my wee boy has yet to hit those years where he is more susceptible to purchasing those energy drinks. While we want to do and must do all that we can for children and young people in the here and now, the culture change that we all want has a large preventative element to it, to ensure that younger children grow up in an environment that is conducive to good health. The benefits are long-term and generational. The health and wellbeing of our young people is a responsibility that we all share, and it transcends party politics. That is again why tonight's debate has been so constructive. That is why improving the Scottish diet is so important. Our forthcoming diet and a healthy delivery plan reflects the priority that we attach to it. As members will know, the Deputy First Minister's launch of the consultation on school food last week means that it is also much more generally a top priority for our Government. That issue cuts across portfolios and reflects an attempt to encourage good health and wellbeing, requiring us to use all the levers that we have right across Government. Our proposed amendments to the school foods and drink regulations will move them closer to the Scottish dietary goals. They will see a tightening of the already stringent standards by restricting sugar-free drinks containing more than 150 milligrams of caffeine per litre in secondary schools. We also proposed that primary schools should only be allowed to serve water and plain milk or milk alternatives. Current regulations do not allow any energy drinks to be made available at any time in the school, and schools are encouraged to consider their health promotion duties when setting their own policies about what products they allow their pupils to bring into the school. I welcome the moves that are taken by schools such as St Nynian's and Kirkntillic, Blair Dowry High School and Perthshire, who have also taken proactive steps to restrict energy drinks and from hearing from Mary Gougeon about measures that are taken by Forfer Academy. We should support those schools and share that good practice and celebrate the priority that those schools are placing on good health. I also really like the contribution from Mark Ruskell about the culture of eating food in a school, trying to encourage the enjoyment around a school, maybe slowing the pace of when children and young people are having their school dinners. I think that that is important that we more generally change that culture of the enjoyment of food within our school settings. Of course, although the European Food Safety Authority has confirmed that energy drinks are safe to consume, everyone, including the British Soft Drinks Association, acknowledges that they should not be marketed to those under the age of 16. Aside from their caffeine content, many energy drinks contain extremely high levels of added sugar. I think that Mary Gougeon, Jackie Bailey and others mentioned that in their contributions. One 500 millilitre bottle could contain around double the daily recommended maximum for an adult, and many contributions this evening have linked energy drinks more generally to those wider health concerns. Because, in Scotland, as others have pointed out, 29 per cent of children are at risk of becoming overweight, including 14 per cent at risk of obesity. Evidence also shows that obese children are likely to stay obese into adulthood and become more likely to suffer health problems such as type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases at a later age. That is why we have set a guiding ambition to have child obesity in Scotland by 2030. We will outline the new diet and healthy weight delivery plan and the necessary actions to achieve that and help everybody to make healthier choices about food and drink. We will also be cognisant of the call to weave in the contributions that we have heard this evening regarding energy drinks. We will ensure, as Brian Whittle and others have said, to use every platform that we have to ensure that there is consistency across all that we do. Of course, it is not just the health of our children that should be a concern to us but also their ability to learn. I know that teachers in particular have expressed concerns through their trade unions about the potential impact on attainment. Again, Graham Day articulated that from the discussions that he has had with his local school and about the impact on not just their ability to learn but their behaviours more generally. I think that so too did Bruce Crawford. A 2016 study looked at over 2,000 children and found that energy drink consumption was consistently associated with low school performance. We are right to be concerned. It shows and highlights that we need to make sure that we are consistently applying and using the platforms that we have across Government to make the impact that we all agree needs to be delivered. I am confident, though, that schools up and down the country are taking appropriate steps to tackle that issue. Of course, that is only one part of the solution. Retailers around those schools must act responsibly, which is why I welcome the recent statement by the National Federation of Retail News Agents. We will also be working and continuing to work with the Scottish Grocer Federation around help that we can provide to convenient stores on how to restrict energy drink sales. Again, issues that were raised by Graham Day and Mark Ruskell. Other retailers have also taken voluntary action to ban the sale of energy drinks to those under the age of 16. We sincerely thank all who have done so and any that have not yet made that commitment to do so as soon as possible. As members know, reshaping the food environment is a key programme for government commitment, and research that is commissioned by the Government that explores the relationship between the food environment and the planning system is drawing to a close. That research considers how the planning system can best support the creation of an improved food environment in Scotland, including the area around schools, and identifies effective and less effective approaches taken elsewhere. Again, as I have said many times this evening, using all the leavers across the Government to positively influence good health in our communities. Society is not just about school or the school environment, and we need to look beyond school. I want to briefly mention that my officials have started a discussion with SPOTA, the co-ordinating body for leisure trusts, on whether measures can be taken by their members to place age restrictions on the sale of energy drinks to under 16s. That action has already seen Edinburgh leisure and West Lothian leisure taking action. I commend them for doing so. SPOTA's members manage around 1,300 facilities in Scotland, everything from gyms to museums, and some with a considerable number of visitors by young people. That is an important development that will continue to take forward and put apply pressure to. I thank Graham Day for the opportunity to debate this important issue and the chance to demonstrate from the Government's perspective our ongoing commitment to support young people in making healthier choices. What better year to do that than in the year of young people? Scotland is best when we work together and whether that is with our health boards, schools, local authorities or retailers and manufacturers. If we collectively work, we can get the action that we need. I think that that is why it is really good that Graham Day has been doing to apply the pressure and to encourage voluntary action. We can of course look at what else we need to do in the future, but the success that we are having and seeing at the here and now is something that we can build upon to create the healthier Scotland that I think across the chamber we all agree we need to achieve. That concludes the debate, and this meeting is closed.