Belarus Bans Energy Drink Sales to Anyone Under 18 Nationwide

The Short Answer

Since July 8, 2021, it is illegal to sell energy drinks to anyone under 18 years of age in all retail locations across Belarus. Violators face administrative fines of up to 10 base units for a first offense.

The Full Story

For years, energy drinks occupied a legal grey zone in Belarus. Labels warned against consumption by minors, pregnant women, and people with heart conditions — but these were merely recommendations. Retailers were not prohibited from selling them to teenagers, and the drinks became enormously popular among adolescents, who were drawn to their sweet taste and stimulant buzz. Medical professionals repeatedly sounded alarms over health risks including elevated blood pressure and blood sugar, caffeine dependency, insomnia, and cardiovascular strain in young consumers.

The government had been considering a formal ban since at least early 2016, when the Belarusian Council of Ministers was reportedly weighing a prohibition on sales to minors and restrictions on small-format stores. It took five more years to translate those deliberations into law. On June 25, 2021, the Council of Ministers passed Resolution No. 363, amending the national Rules for the Sale of Certain Types of Goods (originally Resolution No. 703 of 2014) to formally add energy drinks to the list of age-restricted products — alongside alcohol, tobacco, e-cigarettes, playing cards, and erotic materials. The ban came into force on July 8, 2021.

Enforcement is taken seriously: selling an energy drink to a minor is an administrative offense under Article 13.11, Part 1 of the Belarusian Code of Administrative Offenses, carrying a fine of up to 10 base units for a first violation and 10–30 base units for a repeat offense within a year. Retail chains rapidly updated point-of-sale systems — in some stores, cash registers automatically flag energy drinks with an age-verification prompt. Belarus joins a growing club of post-Soviet and Eastern European nations — including Russia, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Lithuania, and Latvia — that have enacted legal bans rather than relying on voluntary industry measures.

Common Misconceptions

Some sources (including a 2019 article from AiF Belarus) stated that no ban existed in ordinary retail locations — which was accurate at the time but became outdated after July 8, 2021. A 2016 Lexology/Sorainen legal alert noted the ban was only under consideration, which has since led some to believe it was never enacted. The law is sometimes confused with older, advisory label requirements that recommended against consumption by minors — those were not legally binding sales bans.

Actual Legal Text

Energy drinks are added to the list of goods prohibited from sale to minors under 18 years of age. This applies to all retail trade and public catering establishments. Prior to this amendment, the restriction was only advisory (label-based recommendations), not a legal prohibition. The definition of 'energy drinks' follows the Customs Union Technical Regulation TR TS 021/2011: non-alcoholic and low-alcohol beverages containing toning substances in sufficient quantity to produce a stimulating effect on the human body, excluding tea, coffee, and beverages based on them.

Current Status

Actively Enforced

Penalty

Administrative fine of up to 10 base units (~290 BYN) for a first offense; 10–30 base units (~290–870 BYN) for a repeat offense within one year. Applies to sellers/retail staff and legal entities.

Fine: BYN29 – BYN290