Coffee to be banned at middle, high schools

By Kim Hyun-bin

Buying coffee at a school cafeteria or vending machine could become a part of history starting July.

The National Assembly Health and Welfare Committee has passed a revised bill recently that will prohibit coffee and high-caffeine-concentrated products from being sold in elementary, middle and high schools, the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety said Thursday.

Once the revised bill passes through National Assembly vote it could go into effect as early as July.

Under the current law, products high in calories or caffeine or low in nutrition are restricted or banned at schools to improve students' health, with the exception of coffee which is classified as an adult beverage and has been sold in school vending machines and snack shops for teachers to consume.

However, once the bill is passed no coffee will be available even for teachers.
Some people believe the ban is too extreme.

"I think the government is going overboard with this policy. Most of the coffee consumption is from teachers. I have never seen an elementary student drink coffee at this school," said Chung, an elementary school teacher in Gyeonggi Province who only disclosed her surname for the article.

"The ban is well-intended, aiming to prevent children's caffeine addiction, but it seems to be a hard-line policy," said another person surnamed Lee.

Supporters of the new policy say it is a good initiative to keep caffeine consumption at a minimum.

"Coffee is well-loved in the country. I see a lot of young people in coffee shops these days," said Kim Dong-yern, a man in his 60s. "Once the students grow up or go to college they will have lots of opportunities to drink coffee, so banning it in elementary through high school seems to be a good idea."

Doctors stress too much caffeine consumption can cause dizziness, a fast heartbeat, sleep disorders or nervousness.

Many doctors believe continuous caffeine consumption could harm a young child's physical and mental health.

According to the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety's 2015 research on caffeine concentration in products, coffee had the highest concentration at 449.1 milligrams per kilogram, followed by dairy products including chocolate milk, which had 277.5 milligrams per kilogram.

The ministry sets the recommended daily allowance for caffeine for adults at lower than 400 milligrams per kilogram, 300 milligrams per kilogram during pregnancy and 2.5 milligrams per kilogram for children.

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