What is changing

In July 2026 the government confirmed it will ban the sale of high-caffeine energy drinks (over 150 mg of caffeine per litre, excluding tea and coffee) to anyone under 16 in England. The target date is April 2027, subject to the regulations being laid and approved.

The consultation response goes further for vending. Because a machine cannot check age, the government has called for a complete ban on selling these drinks from vending machines, with the person who controls the premises liable, in the same way as tobacco. Fines of up to £2,500 have been proposed.

Why this lands on the club, not the operator

The liability sits with whoever controls the premises. For a machine in a pavilion or clubhouse, that is the club. A generic operator who drops a machine and leaves a can of energy drink in slot B4 has created a problem for your committee, not for themselves.

If your club runs junior sections, this is not a theoretical risk. Minis Sundays, junior nets and academy sessions are exactly the moments when a vending machine trades hardest.

What to check today

  1. 01Walk to your existing machine and read the planogram. If there is a high-caffeine drink in it, ask the operator in writing when it will be removed.
  2. 02Ask who is named as the responsible person for the premises in your operator agreement.
  3. 03Check whether your operator will re-plan the machine at their cost or yours.
  4. 04If you are in Wales or Scotland, the position may differ. We are tracking it and will update this guide.

What The Vending Club does

Every TVC planogram ships 2027-ready. No high-caffeine energy drinks in any sector, including gyms, where we review pre-workout and caffeinated supplements against the same rules and only stock them where a site is adults-only.

Junior-heavy sectors (cricket, rugby, football, hockey, tennis) get a junior-friendly range by default. We do not make health claims about products; we simply keep the machine on the right side of the rules so your committee does not have to think about it.

Sources

Read next

The Vending ClubEditorial team. Writes about club retail, fees and the rules that affect them. About TVC.