Colombia Bans Energy Drink Sales to Under-14s — Not Under-18s as Widely Claimed

Colombia has been grappling with energy drink regulation since at least 2009, when the Ministry of Health issued Resolución 4150, establishing a minimum age of 14 for energy drink purchases — one of the earlier such restrictions in Latin America. The regulation was prompted by growing evidence of adverse health effects, particularly cardiovascular risks, in young consumers. In 2010, a popular legal action was filed against food safety regulator INVIMA and Red Bull; in 2014, Colombia's Council of State (Consejo de Estado) ruled in favor of the action, ordering Minsalud to revise the regulation using the best available scientific evidence. This spurred a 2014 Ministry draft proposing to raise the age threshold to 18 and add stricter labeling — but after a public consultation period, it was never formally enacted. Congressional bills to ban sales to under-18s were introduced in 2014 and again in 2020, both failing to pass. A more comprehensive draft regulation to fully replace Resolución 4150 was in consultation via the Andean Community (Comunidad Andina) in recent years. Meanwhile, academics from multiple Colombian universities have called for stricter rules, and the beverage industry has argued the existing framework is sufficient, backed by voluntary self-regulation agreements from 2016 and 2019. The '18 with parental consent' version of the law appears to be a myth likely seeded by the well-publicized 2014 draft proposal and confusion with alcohol regulations, which use an 18-year threshold.