Health First: An evidence-based alcohol strategy for the UK

Health First: an evidence-based alcohol strategy for the UK
A new approach to regulation
A UK version of the Loi Evin would be an appropriate
stepping stone to full prohibition of alcohol advertising
and sponsorship. Whatever route is taken to this
policy destination, there is a need for a new, robust
approach to the regulation of alcohol marketing that
tackles not only advertising and sponsorship but also
product design, packaging, branding, distribution,
presentation at point of sale and price promotions. To
be effective, regulation must be independent of the
alcohol industry with a clear focus on promoting public
health and community safety.
Regulation should also actively engage the public –
especially young people – in the regulatory process.
Digital media, sometimes referred to as participatory
media, are changing the ways in which business
markets its products: increasingly the emphasis is on coproduction
and the joint creation of value. Regulation
needs to develop in an equally inclusive manner. A
new regulatory body focussed on public involvement
would provide an opportunity to go beyond traditional
consumer protection to engage with the public about
the scope and deployment of alcohol regulation.
An immediate regulatory need is access to data on
the impact of alcohol marketing. Alcohol producers
regularly obtain data about the reach and impact of
their alcohol campaigns, including the exposure of
children and young people to their advertising, but this
intelligence is rarely scrutinised in the public interest
as it remains commercially confidential. This public
interest needs to be put first.
Recommendations
An independent body should be
established to regulate alcohol
promotion, including product and
packaging design, in the interests of
public health and community safety.
Alcohol producers should be required to
declare their expenditure on marketing
and the level of exposure of young people
to their campaigns.
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