Trade hits back at Labour health plans

The UK drinks trade has responded to claims that voluntary industry and government partnerships to tackle excessive drinking have failed.

Labour’s target: 7.5% white cider

Andy Burnham, Labour’s shadow health secretary, today launched Labour’s New Approach to Public Health in the 21st Century, outlining plans to take tougher action to protect children from commercial pressures and the harm caused by excessive drinking. The paper criticises the Government’s voluntary approach with industry – through the Government’s Responsibility Deal – which it claims has “failed to deliver the goods.”

It said a decision to rely too heavily on a voluntary approach with industry to tackling alcohol harms and that it had raised concern that the Government has become “too close to commercial interests to take the bold action on public health that is required.”

Labour plans to take action against high-strength, low-cost alcohol which it said is “affordable to children” and fuel binge drinking, specifically 7.5% white cider sold in large plastic bottles.

Proposals include prohibiting or discouraging the sale of cider in three-litre bottles or creating a new, higher duty band specifically for high-strength ciders to increase its price.

It also plans to review the promotion of alcohol in relation to children, the impact of sport sponsorship and suggested that the calorific content of alcohol be added to all labels.

The drinks industry has already voluntarily removed a billion units of alcohol from the market, limited the number of units of alcohol in single serve cans and labelled 80% of products with important health information, with more than 90% now featuring a warning about drinking when pregnant.

Meanwhile the number of children drinking in the UK has dramatically declined – dropping by 34% in the last decade.

Henry Ashworth, the Portman Group’s chief executive, criticised the plans claiming that Labour are “proposing to spend taxpayers money and valuable government time legislating for something the industry are already doing voluntarily.”

Miles Beale, CEO of the WSTA

He said: “Alcohol harms vary significantly across regions and towns in the UK and are linked with a complex range of socio-economic factors.  Strong partnership between local authorities, the police the drinks industry and the local community are widely accepted as the best way to achieve the targeted support these local areas need.”

Miles Beale, CEO of the Wine and Spirit Trade Association, added: “The promotion of partnerships between the trade and local government is a proven way of tackling alcohol related harm in local communities, through voluntary schemes like Community Alcohol Partnerships. We also believe that this partnership approach with industry is cheaper, less bureaucratic and more effective. We would like to see a greater emphasis on continuing this approach.”

Responding to the proposals in relation to alcohol advertising, said that alcohol advertising and sponsorship is already strictly regulated by the ASA and the Portman Group, including tough measures to prevent advertising to young people.

He said: “Evidence shows that outright bans do nothing to tackle alcohol related harm. Without the significant investment from alcohol sponsorship in sport, and particularly grassroots programmes nationwide, many sports may not be viable in the long term.”