THE boss of Irn-Bru maker AG Barr has made clear the company does not market energy drinks to under-16s, and urged sensible consumption by adults, as the category comes under fresh scrutiny.

Roger White was commenting after Forfar Academy banned energy drinks amid claims their consumption was linked to unruly behaviour in class.

Mr White meanwhile signalled Barr’s determination to highlight the broad range of drinks AG Barr makes to the Treasury, as it prepares to respond to the forthcoming UK Government consultation on the so-called sugar tax.

Under controversial proposals, unveiled by Chancellor George Osborne at the Budget in March, soft drinks manufacturers face being hit with a levy based on the sugar content of their products. The move is designed by ministers to tackle poor diet and the UK’s worsening obesity problem.

AG Barr has an exclusive deal to promote and distribute the popular US energy drink Rockstar in the UK, Ireland and Scandinavia, with the product an increasingly important part of the portfolio. And Mr White said Barr was unambiguous in the way Rockstar is marketed.

Asked whether he was concerned the tide of public opinion was flowing against energy drinks, Mr White said: “We don’t recommend them to under-16s.”

“It is in our marketing code of practice,” he said. “We don’t market them to kids. As with anything, these are functional drinks: people consume them [because] it does what it says on the can. There is no more caffeine in a Rockstar than there is in a cup of coffee, but you have got to be sensible about your consumption.

“I think that would carry through for all our products, and in fact all of the food and drink industry. Sensible consumption is a part of good diet, rather than people wanting to legislate or ban or change [a product].”

Mr White added: “The packaging is very clear, people understand what is in the [drink]. If there are issues with consumption being the wrong sort of consumption, then we absolutely 100 per cent agree with standing by our principles and our code of practice on all of that.”

A formal consultation on the soft drink levy is expected to be announced soon, with the legislation due to come into effect in April 2018.

Outlining the plans at the Budget in March, Osborne proposed two bands of taxation, one for drinks with a total sugar content of 5g per 100ml, and one for 8g of sugar per 100ml.

Mr White said it was too early for the company to be specific about how it intends to respond to the consultation. But he said the company will emphasise the breadth of its portfolio, which includes fruit-based juices and mineral water as well as fizzy drinks. The sugar-free version of Irn-Bru, he noted, now accounts for 36 per cent of the brand’s total sales, and Mr White expects that percentage to keep growing.

Mr White said: “It’s very early days to talk about our approach or our strategy. Our position so far has been trying to understand, and we will get that understanding clarified when we get formal consultation.

“So, at the moment, what we have been very keen to do is work positively with the Treasury to ensure that they fully understand how we operate as a business, what our activities have been in terms of everything we do so that they can hopefully make the right sort of decisions about how they deal with this policy.”

Mr White was speaking after Barr’s 112th annual meeting, in Glasgow, where all 16 resolutions recommended by the board were carried by shareholders. He said Barr was at the final stages of commissioning a new glass bottling line at its Cumbernauld base, as part of a capital investment of £5m.

The investment also allows it to make re-sealable cartons, which are now available for its Rubicon, St Clements and Snapple brands.

Shareholders at the AGM heard chairman John Nicholson play down the implications for Barr of a Brexit following the referendum on the UK’s EU membership on June 23. Mr White said Barr had added more products to its international portfolio, and struck a deal with Moscow Brewing Company to distribute Irn-Bru in Russia. Mr White said: “The change in Russia, I think, will bring us new opportunities, but it’s still early days.”