Senate panel passes bill to ban energy drinks in educational institutions

The Senate Standing Committee on Science and Technology on Wednesday passed a bill seeking to ban the sale of energy drinks in educational institutions in Islamabad.

The committee met at Parliament House, where the Islamabad Capital Territory Food Safety (Amendment) Bill 2025, proposed by Senator Samina Zehri, was presented.

Speaking about the bill, Senator Samina Zehri said that children are being given harmful products in the name of energy drinks. She claimed that red-coloured energy drinks could cause heart attacks.

Senator Afnan Ullah said that sugary and soft drinks should also be banned, pointing out that a single bottle could contain the equivalent of nine teaspoons of sugar, which was extremely harmful to health.

After discussion, the committee approved the bill. Under the proposed legislation, the sale of energy drinks at educational institutions in Islamabad will be prohibited. A violator will face a fine of Rs100,000 for the first offence and up to Rs200,000 for a second offence.

After the bill was approved, Senator Samina Zehri told the media that brightly coloured energy drinks attract children and contain high amounts of sugar and caffeine.

She said excessive caffeine and sugar could contribute to cancer, heart-related problems and other diseases, adding that the aim is to protect children from the harmful effects of energy drinks.