The Government has announced further pledges as part of the Responsibility Deal with alcohol industry partners, despite various controversy over the initiative since its 2011 launch.
The new pledges include agreements for some producers to stop super-strength drinks being available in large cans, and further actions on responsible display and promotion of alcohol for off-sales.
For the on-trade, some pubs and bars will agree to have house wines below 12.5% ABV on offer and actively promote lower-alcohol products to customers. Funding is also been made available to train 10,000 servers on responsible retailing focused under-age drinking and anti-social behaviour. A pledge to support a new schools alcohol and life skills education programme is also included.
However some critics have continued to argue the Responsibility Deal is a smokescreen for evidence based policies such as Minimum Unit Pricing (MUP). When first announced, six health groups walked out of the deal in protest of the pledges and process, with more reportedly quitting after the Government's MUP u-turn. Indeed health based effectiveness rankings for alcohol initiatives tend to assess alcohol education in schools and voluntary led initiatives as low impact compared to action on price, availability or marketing. Last year Asda pulled its pledge to stop promoting alcohol in its foyers after other supermarkets had not followed suit.
Nonetheless, Ministers are standing fast on what they see as a key role for the industry in addressing alcohol misuse. Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said the deal had "made real progress" and the new pledges "will help people to drink responsibly and make healthier choices". Local partnership action with retailers is also central to the Home Office's 20 'Local Alcohol Action Areas' initiative.
Labelling pledge met?
The first word on the labelling pledge of unit and health information on 80% of alcohol containers by 2013 has also appeared, with the Portman Group website stating "Minister for Public Health, Jane Ellison has also confirmed that industry has met its target by achieving 79.3% on its pledge to feature important health information on 80% of labels on shelf by the end of 2013." A public report is expected from the Portman Group who agreed to monitor the labelling pledge.
The Government also recently said the pledge to remove one billion units by 2015 is 'on track', although question marks and the issue of significant producer tax benefits from the pledge have been raised. The announcement of the new pledges were also reported by the Guardian as subject to politics, saying the Home Office had been ordered to hold off on news of the deal as part of the Government's strategy of avoiding news not focussed on the central issue of the economy.
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