Tougher drinks industry laws may be 'imminent' as cost of alcohol misuse now '£25 billion'

A Department of Health press release announces that consultation has begun on whether mandatory laws will be brought in to ensure the industry puts an end to irresponsible promotions and practices such as happy hours. The consultation is considering whether the current voluntary code should be made compulsory. Retailers could therefore be legally required to:

• restrict the way alcohol is sold such as offering drinks in small as well as large glasses or measures
• restrict happy hours or irresponsible price based promotions
• display alcohol in off-licence premises in separate areas give point of sale information eg on units, allowing customers to make an informed choice
• train staff in shops and venues to recognise and refuse alcohol to underage or drunk customers

Manufacturers are also being told that they must put the required advice and warnings on all containers by the end of the year if they are to avoid new legislation. 

Three independent reviews were published last week that show a lack of adherence to voluntary agreements.

1. The KPMG review of alcohol industry standards found that voluntary agreements are not being followed. It also found evidence of poor practice in the way alcohol is promoted.
2. Independent monitoring of voluntary labelling agreements show disappointing interim results. Inclusion of unit information was agreed with industry in 1998. Despite this, 43% of products surveyed did not contain unit information at all, and only 3% followed the labelling scheme in its entirety.
3. Interim findings from the first stage of the price and promotion review, being carried out by the University of Sheffield, finds clear UK and international evidence linking the sale of cheap alcohol to increased consumption, particularly amongst young people and those already drinking at higher risk levels. This leads to stronger evidence that irresponsible retail practice fuels excess drinking and hence harm to health. The second phase of the review is due to report later this year. When this is complete, the impact of a range of different options for regulating or restricting how alcohol is priced and promoted will be examined

See also Alcohol Concern’s recent report Unequal partners: A report on the limitations of the alcohol regulatory regime. The report highlights the lack of impact from the current approach and puts forward a number of recommendations including new independent review bodies for licensed premises, government enforcement arms and new responsibilities for licensees such as compulsory inclusion of harm reduction policies.

See the consultation document here