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Energy Drink Vending Machine Ban: What Applies in Canada

England is banning energy drink sales from vending machines. Canada has no such ban: what Health Canada's caffeine rules and BC's PST do require instead.

By Mahdi DialdenUpdated 6 min readFiled under Hosts, Energy drinks, Caffeine, Rules

Short answer: there's no energy drink vending machine ban in Canada. England is the place people are thinking of: its government is banning sales of high-caffeine drinks to under-16s, and because a machine can't check ID, the consultation outcome says "sales from all vending machines will also be banned". In Canada, Health Canada regulates energy drinks as supplemented foods, with a caffeine cap and warning labels but no age limit. In British Columbia, the rule that affects a machine is tax: a carbonated energy drink counts as soda, and one soda makes every drink in the machine subject to PST.

This is for gym owners, college and campus managers, employers and anyone deciding whether energy drinks belong in a machine on their site.

Are energy drinks banned in Canada?

No. Canada regulates the product and its label, not the buyer: Health Canada treats energy drinks as supplemented foods, caps caffeine at 180 mg per serving and requires cautionary labels. We found nothing in those regulations that sets a minimum age for buying energy drinks or restricts selling them from vending machines.

What England is doing

The UK Department of Health and Social Care consulted on "banning the sale of high-caffeine energy drinks to children". The consultation has concluded; the page was last updated on 16 July 2026. What it sets out:

  • Who: children under 16.
  • What: drinks containing more than 150 mg of caffeine per litre. For scale, a 250 mL can with 80 mg of caffeine works out to 320 mg per litre, more than twice the line.
  • Vending machines: "Sales from all vending machines will also be banned." The reason is practical: a machine can't verify age, so the ban covers every machine, not just ones near schools.

The outcome page doesn't give a commencement date. If you run a site in England, check the final regulations. If you run one in BC, read on.

What Canada does instead

Canada took a different route: control the product and its label, not the buyer.

Energy drinks are "supplemented foods". Regulations published in the Canada Gazette on July 20, 2022 (SOR/2022-169) moved caffeinated energy drinks from temporary marketing authorizations into a new supplemented-foods framework. Products already on the market had a transition period that ended on January 1, 2026, so every energy drink sold in Canada now should be labelled under the new rules.

The caffeine cap is 180 mg. Health Canada's energy-drink guidance sets a maximum of 180 mg of caffeine per single-serving container, or per 500 mL serving in a multi-serve container. When the 2022 regulations were finalised, some health groups asked for 80 mg per serving to better protect young adolescents; the regulatory statement records that request, and the cap stayed.

The label carries the warnings. Health Canada's energy-drink guidance required cautionary statements, including "Not recommended for children, pregnant or breastfeeding women and individuals sensitive to caffeine" and a daily limit. Under the 2022 regulations, supplemented foods also carry a caution identifier on the principal display panel, and those with high caffeine carry a "high caffeine content" statement. The regulatory statement notes Health Canada dropped the "Do not mix with alcohol" wording requirement.

What the rules don't do: we found nothing in the supplemented-foods regulations that sets a minimum age for buying energy drinks or restricts selling them from vending machines. The responsibility sits with the label and with whoever chooses the menu.

Who can say no to energy drinks at your site

You can. Because there's no legal ban, the decision belongs to the host:

  • Schools and school districts set their own food and drink rules. If a machine is on school property, ask the district before stocking energy drinks; we haven't verified the current BC school guidelines for this post.
  • Colleges and universities often have campus-wide food contracts that decide the menu. Check before signing anything site by site.
  • Gyms may want them for members who train early. It's still your call.
  • Workplaces can go either way. Ask the people who'll use the machine.

Whatever you decide, put it in the agreement. "Your people choose the menu" should include what's off it.

The BC tax detail

BC's Ministry of Finance Notice 2021-002 defines soda beverages as carbonated or effervescent drinks with any sweetener, and it lists "carbonated or nitrogenized energy drinks" among the examples. It also says PST applies to "all beverages dispensed by a vending machine or similar equipment, unless the machine does not dispense any soda beverages".

So adding one carbonated energy drink to a machine of water and juice makes every drink in it subject to the 7% PST. That matters to you only if a commission is calculated on gross sales; the PST and GST guide and the commission reality check explain why.

A simple approach for hosts

  1. Decide whether energy drinks belong on your site at all, based on who uses it.
  2. If yes, ask for the lower-caffeine options and a clear label facing out.
  3. If the site serves under-16s often (a rec centre, a school-adjacent gym, a youth program), consider leaving them out even though Canadian law doesn't require it.
  4. Write the decision into the agreement, and review it when the menu changes.

Placement itself is $0 to you: the operator covers the machine, install, stocking, service and removal, and you provide the spot and an outlet (about $15–20 a month in power for a drink machine). See if your site qualifies.

Sources

Frequently asked questions

Are energy drinks banned in Canada?

No. Health Canada regulates energy drinks as supplemented foods, with a cap of 180 mg of caffeine per serving and cautionary labels, and the regulations set no minimum age for buying them and don't restrict where they're sold.

Is there an energy drink vending machine ban in Canada?

Not that we could find in federal law. Health Canada regulates energy drinks as supplemented foods: it caps caffeine and requires cautionary labelling, but the regulations set no minimum age for buying them and don't restrict where they're sold, including vending machines. Individual schools, school districts and employers can set their own rules.

Why is England banning energy drinks in vending machines?

Its government is banning sales of drinks with more than 150 mg of caffeine per litre to children under 16. A vending machine can't check age, so the consultation outcome says sales from all vending machines will also be banned, whoever the machine is for.

How much caffeine can an energy drink have in Canada?

Health Canada's limit for caffeinated energy drinks is 180 mg of caffeine per single-serving container, or per 500 mL serving in a multi-serve container. Health Canada's guidance requires cautionary labelling, including that they're not recommended for children, pregnant or breastfeeding women and people sensitive to caffeine.

Do energy drinks change the tax on a BC vending machine?

Usually, yes. BC's PST notice lists carbonated or nitrogenized energy drinks as soda beverages, and if a machine dispenses any soda, PST applies to every beverage it sells, including water and juice. A machine limited to water and non-carbonated drinks avoids that rule.

Local guides

PST and GST on Food and Drinks in BC: Vending Machine Rules

Is PST charged on food in BC? Food, candy and chips no; pop yes, and one soda puts PST on every drink in a vending machine. Plus GST, and who collects it.

Vending Machine Licence Fees in Burnaby, Richmond and Surrey

What Burnaby, Richmond and Surrey charge per vending machine in 2026, from each city's bylaw: who's responsible, and the one duty that falls on the host.