It is working with the national drug and alcohol recovery charity Swanswell and the campaign is to lobby for the government to commission independent research into energy drink use and the long-term effects on health.
The partnership was confirmed last month as the NASUWT met for its annual conference in Birmingham during Easter.
It comes after the NASUWT’s annual Big Question Survey this year found that 13 per cent of its members cite caffeine and energy drinks as among the drivers of poor pupil behaviour.
Energy drinks contain high levels of caffeine and sugar but the NASUWT cites a recent European study which found that nearly one in five children who have tried energy drinks think they are the same as cola. However, a 500ml bottle of cola has almost 40mg of caffeine whereas the same amount of an energy drink has around 160mg of caffeine. The union says that national guidelines on recommended consumption levels are needed to help tackle the problems.
The NASUWT and Swanswell have produced initial guidance in a bid to raise awareness among parents, pupils and teachers of the high levels of stimulants which energy drinks contain and their potential impact on behaviour and health.
Chris Keates, general secretary of the NASUWT, said: “For the last two years in our survey teachers have registered concern about the contribution of high energy drinks to poor pupil behaviour as a result of consuming excessive quantities of these drinks.”
Debbie Bannigan, chief executive of Swanswell, added: “Energy drinks can affect performance at school and lead to risky behaviour. We’ve even seen examples in our service of children taking cannabis to offset up to 800mg of caffeine a day. Unlike other countries there’s no official guidance on caffeine consumption for children in the UK. That’s why we’d like the government to commission independent research into the long-term health impact of energy drinks.
“This would enable them to publish evidence-based guidelines on the maximum amount of caffeine it’s safe for children to drink.”
The guidance, entitled Energy Drinks: Key facts, can be downloaded via http://bit.ly/1VDfrve