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News
“Government too close to drinks industry”
A hard-hitting report will be released today that warns that the government is too close to the drinks industry and needs to adopt a tougher approach to alcohol related health problems.
The Commons Health Select Committee has called for an independent review of the Coalition’s “responsibility deal” with drinks manufacturers, and insisted the drinks industry doesn’t deserve any credit for signing up to the deal.
Other aspects of the report include the committee backing the government’s plan to bring in a minimum price for alcohol of 40p or 50p a unit, it argues that it should expire unless it is shown to reduce harmful drinking.
It rejected a proposed ban on “multibuy offers” used by supermarkets as “unworkable” and calls for clearer guidance about “safe” drinking levels, saying that measuring alcohol in units is confusing.
However, the report, does acknowledge that “the great majority of citizens enjoy alcoholic products without significant evidence of harms to their health”. What’s more, it states that “against that background, the supply of alcohol is an entirely legitimate business”.
Responding to the Health Select Committee report on the government’s “Alcohol Strategy”, WSTA chief executive Miles Beale said:
“We regret the committee’s readiness to support minimum unit pricing when by its own admission there is a lack of evidence about the specific effects of different price levels. Given that, it must make sense for the government to apply a “sunset clause” to minimum pricing as the committee suggests.
“It is premature to pre-judge the impact of voluntary commitments made as part of the Public Health Responsibility Deal when the evidence suggests the industry is making good progress towards fulfilling the voluntary labelling initiative and significantly reducing the quantity of alcohol units sold through the UK market.”
“We welcome the committee’s recommendation that activity in this area should be subject to independent evaluation.”
The Portman Group is deeply disappointed with the committee responded to the responsibility deal. “We welcome the select committee’s view that the majority of people enjoy alcoholic products responsibly and that alcohol producers and retailers are vital partners in helping to tackle the harms caused by misuse,” they said in a statement.
“We also fully support the recommendation that locally led alcohol partnerships provide the best solution to tackle local issues.
“While we are pleased the committee commends the responsibility real approach, it is deeply disappointing that they have failed to understand the significance of the innovative unit reduction pledge, supported by all major producers, retailers, and leading wholesalers who have committed to lower the alcohol content of leading brands, and introduce new ranges of lower alcohol products.”
Simon Russell, of the National Association of Cider Makers, added: “In March the government announced the plan for legislation on Minimum Unit Pricing (MUP) without consultation and the Health Select Committee have decided to endorse the policy whilst accepting there is a lack of evidence to understand the impact.
“While the committee is right to call for a ‘sunset clause’ and for the independent evaluation of the impact of MUP, it is to be hoped that the same rigour is applied to consider what the impact might be during the consultation process and in advance of the policy becoming law.
“The NACM remains of the view that minimum pricing as a whole population measure is not a ‘silver bullet’ that will tackle why a small minority misuse alcohol.”
The British Beer & Pub Association chief executive Brigid Simmonds said: “In broad terms, this is a balanced report. The committee is right to stress the importance of evidence based policy making, and the government should garner more evidence before proceeding with a minimum pricing policy and a proposed ban on multi-buys.
“There are some issues on which we differ from the committee, but there is a mutual recognition of the need for partnership between government, producers and retailers – and with local authorities and the police at the local level. In recent years, we’ve seen total alcohol consumption falling, and binge drinking is also down. Measures aimed at those who need help with alcohol misuse, rather than at the population as a whole, will deliver the best results.”