Hunter principals are joining a growing wave of education providers calling for a ban on energy drinks at NSW schools.
It follows the near hysteria created among youngsters at the end of last term when the PRIME Hydration products were released in Australia.
While some parents, teens and pre-teens may be lax with food standards within their own households, the state’s prime education body insists on following standard health guidelines.
PRIME comes in two types; sports drinks and energy drinks.
It is available in eight different flavours including Blue Raspberry, Grape, Ice Pop, Lemon Lime, Meta Moon, Orange, Strawberry Watermelon, and Tropical Punch.
Moreover, the brand (deliberately capitalised) is the brainchild of YouTube sensations Logan Paul and KSI.
Who are the founders?
Logan Paul is an American wrestler and actor turned internet star.
KSI is a British boxer slash rapper.
Between them, the pair has almost 80 million followers on YouTube.
Teenagers are fast becoming the duo’s target audience whilst some eliciting an almost cult-like following for the twosome.
The high-profile influencers travelled to Australia to promote their overrated liquid in February 2023, which subsequently caused a frenzy among fans, causing some city bosses to cancel planned appearances.
What followed was weeks of angst among teens and their parents as kids rushed to get their hands on the coveted product.
In addition to all the hype (think toilet paper during COVID), people were stockpiling PRIME Hydration drinks. While on-selling for a lot more than they had originally paid.
If rumours are true, then often drinks were also scouted with little or no original content within it.
Prime Hydration in Schools:
Schools quickly became the trading grounds of PRIME the drug.
Additionally, principals are allegedly fed up with the drama that bestowed the new craze.
A spokesperson for NSW Department of Education says PRIME Hydration drinks do not align with NSW school values.
“Water is actively promoted as the drink of choice at all NSW public schools,” they said.
“Sugar-sweetened drinks and energy drinks are banned in school canteens and vending machines on school grounds. Energy drinks are not recommended for children.
“This is part of the NSW Healthy School Canteen Strategy co-developed by the NSW Department of Education and NSW Health and implemented since 2017.”
The list of ingredients within PRIME sports drinks include coconut water and electrolytes claiming to be fortified with “BCAAs and vitamins”.
This comes with a disclaimer stating it is not suitable for children aged under 15.
PRIME energy drinks (not suitable for anyone aged under 18, pregnant or breastfeeding) contain 200mg of caffeine. Nearly double the amount of high-tier energy drink brands RedBull and Monster, the equivalent of roughly two cups of coffee.
Under the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code, energy drinks require an advisory statement that they are not recommended for children.
Additionally, PRIME Energy carries the advisory statement:
“Drink responsibly, not recommended for children under 18 years of age ….”
That is to say, why is the drink being seen at schools, where the main stakeholders are under the age of 18?
Food Standards Australia New Zealand are currently reviewing the permissions for caffeine in sports foods and general foods (Proposal P1056). This will consider the risks caffeine poses to sensitive groups.
For more stories like this:
- What’s On in Newcastle
- Andy Allen stops for a travla at Maitland Basketball Stadium
- lululemon opens in Newcastle
Get all the latest Newcastle news, sport, real estate, entertainment, lifestyle and more delivered straight to your inbox with the Newcastle Weekly Daily Newsletter. Sign up here.
