Trade leader calls for a united industry front on social responsibility

Related tags Spirit trade association Alcoholic beverage Drink

Christopher Carson, chairman of the Wine & Spirit Trade Association (WSTA), has called for a united industry front on social...

Christopher Carson, chairman of the Wine & Spirit Trade Association (WSTA), has called for a united industry front on social responsibility.

Speaking at the annual Wine & Spirit Education Trust lecture, he warned that alcohol could become "the next tobacco" if drinks producers and retailers didn't act together against binge-drinking.

"We are in the government's sights," he said. "Between 2000 and 2005 it spent £96.6m on anti-tobacco measures. How would we react if the Department of Health spent that much on an anti-alcohol campaign? It would, for sure, bring negative growth.

"I'm not saying we will be the next tobacco, but there is a threat that we need to be alert to, and we have to be united.

"Every time we break ranks and blame another part of the industry for alcohol problems we lose out, whether it's the on-trade blaming the off-trade or wine blaming beer.

"The industry, too, needs to deliver our side of the bargain," he continued. "And a WSTA survey has shown there is more work to be done, on social responsibility standards and on sensible drinking messages."

Portman Group spin-off the Drink Aware Trust had got off to a good start, he reported, with the website recording 50,000 hits a day, and the WSTA itself had a role in driving a voluntary approach.

"We have got to get the Challenge 21 initiative on underage drinking embedded in the industry, and we have got to create a template for unit labelling and sensible drinking messages.

"We must all agree a clear way forward and take it to the government or we shall have it forced upon us."

Related topics Legislation

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