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This week: Brits now enjoy big savings from alcohol reduction; UK to end to-go alcohol from bars; Alcohol boosts blood pressure; A third of Irish farmers drink harmfully; Ad tracking aid shows promise

Brits now enjoy big savings from alcohol reduction: UK wine suppliers and their costumers now pay 21p less in tax for every percentage point they cut from any 75cl bottle of wine purchased. This means tax on a 75cl bottle of 9% wine is now £1.92 ($2.44), a 14% fall of 31p from the flat fee of £2.23 charged before August 1st. The old system meant that wines of 14% were charged 40% less per ml of alcohol than wines of 9%, despite posing less risk to consumers’ health. Public health advocates welcomed the new tax structure, as well as taxes rising to match inflation. The wine industry complained that it will lose money under the news system because its current offerings have not adapted to the new tax system. Others say there are no good low alcohol wines. Alcohol Review suggests that some businesses will succeed in profiting where others fail. 

UK to end to-go alcohol from bars: The UK will wind up a scheme to allow pubs to sell to-go alcohol on 30 September, the Home Office has said. It stands in marked contrast to the widespread extension of state level bar off-sales mandates in the US, where alcohol deaths were still up 31% on pre-pandemic levels last year.

Alcohol boosts blood pressure: As little as one alcoholic drink a day increased systolic blood pressure, according to a new study. The study found no beneficial effects in adults who drank a low level of alcohol compared to those who did not drink alcohol.

A third of Irish farmers drink harmfully: One in three farmers in Ireland drink alcohol at harmful levels, according to a new study, and one in 20 takes drugs, with most of them doing so to a risky degree. But 28% do not drink alcohol.

Ad tracking aid shows promise: An artificial intelligence called Zero-Shot Learning has shown promise in recognising alcohol exposures in media, a laborious task normally done by people.

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In this issue: Australian alcohol deaths accelerate; Scotland plans minimum price adjustment; UK labelling relaxation; US costs to climb; TV shots off target; Dutch wariness rises

Australian alcohol deaths up 30% since pandemic

The number of alcohol-induced deaths in Australia increased to around 30% above pre-pandemic levels in 2022. They rose 11% year on year, on top of a 7% rise in 2021 and around 8% in 2020.

They are at their highest level for over a decade, a pattern seen in other anglophone countries, which are among the most scrupulous in reporting figures.

“It is absolutely devastating to see the ways that alcoholic products cause so much harm to so many families and communities across Australia. Every person that dies because of alcohol is a life cut tragically short…,” said Caterina Giorgi of alcohol harm NGO FARE Australia.

America’s alcohol death rates were up 31% on pre-pandemic levels in 2022, falling back from 38% above in 2021. Canada’s alcohol deaths were up a fifth during the pandemic, as were the UK’s. Comment/sources

Scotland plans minimum price adjustment

The Scottish Government published plans to increase the minimum unit price of alcohol from 50p to 65p to catch up with inflation since its introduction in 2018.

A study released in parallel said an increase to 60p would reduce the number of harmful drinkers by well over 26,000, while removing the minimum price would increase their number by about the same.

The industry response has so far been muted, focussing on the fact the increase would mean the price of some budget drinks goes up. Comment/sources

UK labelling relaxation

Drinks containing up to 0.5% alcohol could be labelled as “alcohol free” in the UK, as in Australia, Germany, New Zealand and the US. Some wonder if the rule may also allow them to be used to bypass alcohol advertising rules as 0.0 brews now do. Comment/sources

US costs to climb

The annual cost of alcoholic liver disease is expected to more than double to $66bn in the US by 2040. It is projected to cost a total $880bn between now and 2040, $355bn in direct healthcare-related costs, and $525bn in lost labour and economic consumption. Comment/sources

Shots off target

Broadcasters providing coverage of sporting events should avoid ‘problematic’ shots of fans drinking alcohol, a team of researchers said Thursday. The study’s observations were based on watching the Women’s World Cup. Comment/source 

Dutch wariness rises

Some 40% of the 10- 17-year-old in the Netherlands said alcohol was unhealthy, compared with 27% of adults. Those saying alcohol drinking was fun rose from 13% among 10-11-year-olds to over half of those aged 16 and 17. Comment/sources

US insurance denial down

18 US states still have laws allowing companies to deny insurance payments for treatment to people inebriated with alcohol when they were injured, down from 37 in 2004. The number of states explicitly banning the practice increased from three to 15. Comment/sources

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In this issue: Australia expected to consider alcohol warning labels;  UK to lower wine alcohol minimum; High risk drinking treatment guidelines; Alcohol has lessons for cannabis

Australia expected to consider warning labels: The Australian federal government is seeking advice on ways to raise public awareness of alcohol harm, advice which is expected to include warning labels. Nearly 80% would support the move. Australian alcohol deaths are up 30% on pre-pandemic levels, on a par with Canada, the UK and US.

UK government set to lower wine alcohol minimum: The UK government plans to reduce the level of alcohol where a product can be called “wine” below 8.5% to zero . In August it proposed charging tax in line to its alcohol content rather than charging a flat fee per bottle, meaning potential savings of 21p ($0.25) per percentage point less in a bottle.

High risk drinking treatment guidelines: A paper published this month offered 15 recommendations for the screening, diagnosis, withdrawal management and treatment of high-risk drinking

Alcohol has lessons for cannabis: There is a lot legislators can learn from alcohol policy in regulating cannabis to “ensure that the power of commercial entities is sufficiently limited through regulation of price, availability and marketing” said the Institute of Alcohol Studies in a new report.

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In this issue: UK cuts taxes fuelling alcohol harm; Japan lays out draft guidelines; Ghanaian civil society supports celeb ad ban; Ireland’s 9pm ad ban begins 2025

UK cuts tax fuelling surge in alcohol harm: The UK government this week made another real terms cut in alcohol tax, despite surging alcohol harm, with alcohol deaths last year 27% above pre-pandemic levels in 2021. It is “utterly frustrating news”, said Professor Sir Ian Gilmore, chair of the UK Alcohol Health Alliance. An early tip-off of the decision to the Sun tabloid and alcohol industry meant almost no criticism was heard.

Japan lays out draft guidelines: Japan set out a draft for its first low risk alcohol guidelines of 50ml a day for men and 225ml for women. They also say, “It is important to keep alcohol intake as low as possible.” The UK guidelines are 20ml a day for both men and women. More research is needed on risk acceptability, said a new commentary.

Ghanaian civil society supports celeb ad ban: Civil society actors in Ghana support the Food and Drugs Authority’s position to ban alcohol advertisements by celebrities which is currently being challenged in court.

Ireland’s 9pm ad ban begins 2025: A ban on alcohol ads appearing on TV in Ireland before 9pm will come into effect on January 10th 2025, the Department of Health said.

In this issue: Alcohol deaths hit record high in England; Study to see alcohol-free impact on young; Bingeing plus genetics multiply liver risk; Sperm impact longer than expected

Alcohol deaths hit record high in England

Alcohol-specific deaths rose 4.6% in 2022 in England and Wales, reaching the highest level on record, according to estimates from alcohol expert Colin Angus. The 36% rise since before the pandemic is higher than the alcohol death rises seen in Australia (30%) and the US (31%). Official figures are expected in February. Read more

Study to see alcohol-free impact on young

An Australian project will investigate the impact of promoting and using zero-alcohol drinks on young people’s perceptions and behaviour towards full strength alcohol. It will aim to find out if they act as a gateway to alcohol use or alcohol brand loyalty. Read more

Bingeing plus genetics multiply liver risk

People who binge drink and have a certain genetic makeup are six times more likely to develop alcohol-related cirrhosis says a new study. Read more

Sperm impact longer than expected

A father’s sperm is negatively impacted by alcohol drinking even during the withdrawal process, meaning it takes much longer than we previously thought for the sperm to return to normal, according to a new study. Read more 

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In this issue: Olympics strikes first global beer deal; Local alcohol levies mooted; Pope issues wine reminder; Smaller glasses cut drinking; US alcohol deaths state-by-state; and more

Olympic beer deal: The Olympics’ first ever global beer promotion deal drew sharp criticism from a range of UK health advocates, including the Association of Directors of Public Health. The deal to promote beer brands at the next two Olympics covers all brands in AB InBev’s portfolio, Alcohol Review was told. The Olympics organiser said the beer branding will not be seen in the field of play and will initially revolve around the Corona Cero alcohol-free brand, a modified version of the 4.5% brand. At the LA games in 2028 the emphasis will switch to the 3.5% Michelob Ultra brand, marketed as low calorie.

Local levies: Local levies on alcohol and other unhealthy products could raise funds and reduce inequality, said the left-leaning UK think tank IPPR in a new report. Such levies would top up £3bn funding from a Health Creation Fund, with poorer areas where unhealthy outlets cluster able to raise more money. Scottish Labour said earlier in the month that it is backing an alcohol levy.

Papal whine: Pope Francis was reported to have reminded Italian wine producers of their moral and ethical responsibilities, while reassuring them their product is a “gift from God”. His reminder may relate to the Italian industry being at the vanguard of resistance to nutrition and ingredients labels.

Glass ceiling: A study removing the largest glass of wine from sale in pubs cut the total amount of alcohol consumed by 7.6%, while income remained the same. One commentator suggested huge glasses are naff anyway, while another felt the discussion was a sure sign a full ban on alcohol is nigh.

US deaths state-by-state: Alcohol Review published a table of rises in US alcohol-induced deaths by state, using provisional CDC figures. They range from Mississippi with an 85% rise and New Jersey with 11%. PBS this month talked to the author of a new four-part series in the Denver Post on how alcohol has not been treated with the same urgency as opioids. Colorado, the CDC data says, is in the middle with a 32% in deaths.

Conflicted again: The US organisation assembling a committee to assess evidence for an update to alcohol guidelines has picked a Harvard professor with financial ties to the alcohol industry, having recently backtracked on the appointment of two people with such ties.

AI ageing: The UK government is considering the use of age assurance technologies, including age estimation to decide  if an individual is old enough to purchase age restricted products like alcohol.

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