Government and supermarkets working on promoting responsible drinking
Professional and middle-aged women ‘who are drinking themselves into an early grave’ are to be targeted in a government anti-drinking advertising campaign this spring. According to a Department of Health spokesperson, the £10 million campaign is designed to make sure everyone know how much they’re drinking and challenge the British mentality that says it’s ok to be drunk, while particularly warning women about the health hazards of drinking too much.
The campaign comes after the National Office of Statistics revealed that the alcohol-related death rate for women aged 35-54 doubled between 1991 and 2006 from 7.2 to 14.8 per 100,000 population. However, men continue to drink far more than women and ONS statistics show that in 2006 the alcohol-related death rate for men at 18.3 per 100,000 was more than twice that for women.
The DH spokesperson said, ‘After the campaign has launched no one will be in any doubt as to how many units they’re drinking – whether it’s a pint of strong Belgian lager or a large glass of Rioja.’
Meanwhile, supermarket giant Tesco has announced that it wants to work with the Government to discuss the introduction of legislation to ensure responsible pricing on alcohol and alcohol promotions. Executive director for corporate and legal affairs Lucy Neville-Rolfe said, ‘We have a role to play in addressing the problem of anti-social drinking,’ adding that, ‘all shops that sell alcohol need to act together.’ But she said that, because of competition law, the Government needs to lead these discussions and bring forward legislative proposals which Tesco and others in the industry can support. ‘Such proposals would have to apply to all retailers of alcohol otherwise they would be ineffective as those looking for cheap alcohol would simply shop with lower-priced operators,’ she said.
Sainsbury’s has responded by saying it welcomes the opportunity to discuss any proposals for legislation on pricing that the Government may make but adds that, ‘We have seen no evidence of a link between alcohol pricing and increased consumption. We feel any change in Government policy must be based on clear evidence and not penalise our customers who drink responsibly.’
Asda, however, this week announced measures aimed at limiting access to alcohol in its stores and making it harder for under 18s to break the law now. Included in these is a move to stop selling alcohol after midnight in town centre stores, to prevent people leaving late-night bars and clubs from purchasing even more booze. In addition, Asda says it is adopting a zero-tolerance approach to under 18s who illegally attempt to purchase alcohol.
Asda’s chief executive officer Andy Bond said, ‘Our aim is to make it practically impossible for under 18s to break the law in our stores.’ To meet this challenge, the retailer is extending its proof-of-age scheme to 100 more stores and independently testing every store at least once a month.
However, the CEO added that, ‘I am not in favour of indiscriminate price rises, which would disproportionately hit the vast majority of people who drink sensibly and in moderation.’