Selected media stories since the June round-up:
The latest health guidance is missing from alcohol labels, the BBC reports. It says the alcohol industry has not updated health information labelling three years after health experts issued new guidelines. Several media reports highlighted an announcement that labelling on alcohol products would be made mandatory under a Labour government, as shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth revealed at Alcohol Change UK national conference.
A BBC Panorama investigation, presented by Adrian Chiles, found just 14 of 100 alcoholic products carried updated information. Katharine Severi, from the Institute of Alcohol Studies, said the "self-regulatory system is failing." John Timothy, chief executive of alcohol industry funded Portman Group, said: "When the updated guidance came out, the industry was given a period of grace to change labels, that period of grace ends in September this year. There are ongoing discussions amongst my members about how they communicate that risk."
Writing in the Guardian, Adrian Chiles said the alcohol industry hasn't been honest about alcohol in not doing enough to provide sufficient calorie and health information, highlighting the exemption for alcoholic drinks to include calorie information. Chiles writes 'the government betrays no appetite to regulate the industry' as secretary of state for health, Matt Hancock, declined to appear on the programme and has said he’s “dead against” minimum unit pricing.
Eurostar has 'backtracked' on its booze ban, reports the BBC. It says the company has updated its policy on how much alcohol passengers can carry, following a backlash on social media. The firm still reserves the right to confiscate excessive amounts of alcohol for consumption on the journey, but customers can take unopened alcohol to their destination.
Health & figures
Women are not aware of the link between alcohol and breast cancer, reported the BBC. Two hundred women took part in the study, published in the online journal BMJ Open. They were either being screened for breast cancer, or having symptoms checked. Only one in five women knew it was a risk factor, despite alcohol consumption estimated to be responsible for 5-11% of cases.
A primary school teacher died after drinking more than one bottle of red wine, reported the Telegraph. Gill Howe, 46, may have lost her life because her body had a very low tolerance of alcohol, an inquest in Hull heard. The mother-of-two had been in her garden with a friend in June last year when she became unconscious.
As many as 172,000 people could be affected by Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) in Scotland, as a mother has laid bare the "brutal reality" of bringing up her adoptive son after he was left damaged by exposure to alcohol in the womb, reports the BBC.
The UK is experiencing a surge in fatalities from drug and alcohol misuse, reports the Times. It argues the figures show 'a public health crisis requiring a complete rethink of drug strategy to focus on reducing the harm to individuals and society'.
More than four million Britons aged over 50 think they should cut back on the amount of alcohol they drink, reports the Independent. It follows a national survey of 2,120 older people by the campaign group Drink Wise, Age Well, finding 24 per cent of 50 to 54-year-old drinkers sometimes think they should cut down, compared with 20 per cent of 60 to 64-year-olds and 10 per cent of over 75s.
Trade and industry
Could Majestic's move to online mark the end for high street wine sales, asks the Guardian. The number of specialist off-licences in the UK has slumped 11% over the past six years, whilst the big supermarket chains account for 80% of the £6.6bn high street wine trade, accelerated by the rapid expansion of the German discounters Aldi and Lidl.
Young people are 'leading the trend' for alcohol-free beer, reports the BBC. Huge growth in the number of craft breweries on both sides of the Atlantic has coincided with more people choosing to drink less alcohol, or even none at all. The piece explores alcohol-free beers, which legally can include 0.5% ABV drinks, apparently aiding brewers to make tastier beers but "has no effect on a person whatsoever... a ripe banana or slice of bread can contain 0.5% alcohol", said Rob Fink, co-founder of the Big Drop Brewing Company.
The soft drinks firm behind Irn-Bru is entering the alcohol-free spirits market, having invested £1m in a 20% minority stake in Stryyk, which makes alcohol-free rum, vodka and gin, reports the BBC. Chief executive Roger White said: "More and more consumers are seeking a drink that adds positively to their social experience but without the side-effects of alcohol."
'In search of the perfect pub: what makes a great British boozer?' asks the Guardian. Whilst Britain has lost 25% of its pubs in the last 20 years, those surviving have been forced to adapt. At the heart of the a good pub, the piece argues, is that it provides "somewhere to go in which we can have a relaxing drink in a convivial atmosphere and perhaps meet others with a similar aim."
Alcohol is a primary target for shoplifting, report Drinks Retailer News. Shrinkage costs UK retailers almost £11 billion a year and alcoholic drinks are the greatest contributor to the loss, followed by robberies and burglaries, while thieving staff, administrative errors, non-compliant use, waste, expired goods and damaged goods were also cited.
Culture & sport
'It’s last orders for working-hours boozing. We should drink to that', comments a Guardian piece following news that the London Metal Exchange banned staff from drinking during working hours, as Lloyds of London did in 2017. 'With the odd pocket of resistance, perhaps the culture of working-hours drinking truly is dying out. Time was, life was too serious not to have a drink. Now, it’s too serious to have one', the piece concludes.
A crackdown on sport sponsorship is key to tackling Scotland’s alcohol problem, a piece in the Scotsman argues. Despite “extremely encouraging” signs following a fall in consumption following minimum pricing, it argues there is still a long way to go and "politicians need to start using controls on advertising and sponsorship to reduce the visibility of alcohol in society".
British Asian cricketers are deterred from getting to the top of the sport because they are put off by club drinking culture, reports the Telegraph. Prof Hylton - who carried out the research on behalf of the England and Wales Cricket Board - said the drinking culture in some clubs was a deterrent for South Asian players, but cricket clubs raise a lot of their revenue through drink sales and "some people found that the drinking culture got a bit out of control".
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