Drinks watchdog admits shots policy is for long term

new measures aimed at cracking down on "rapid drinking" may not make an immediate impact on consumer behaviour, the Portman Group chief executive David Poley has admitted in an exclusive interview with The Publican.

Last month the industry watchdog said it would be enforcing new marketing rules from January 1 aimed at preventing the encouragement of rapid drinking.

As part of the new measures, the watchdog said it will be calling on all drinks companies to remove the words "shooters" and "slammers" from their packaging and instead use the word "shots".

However, David Poley, chief executive of the Portman Group said while the new marketing rules may not have a big impact immediately, the industry has to show it is serious about responsible drinking.

"We recognise these measures may only have a limited impact on consumer behaviour," he said. "But it doesn¹t mean it is the wrong thing to do. It is an appropriate common-sense measure.

"The industry has to be seen to be responsible and if brand owners¹ products are exhorting people to drink faster then it doesn¹t help the industry's case with the government.

"Shooters and slammers are unambiguous terms that encourage drinkers to consume the product quickly," added Poley.

The other new rule in the code of practice is the requirement for alcohol branding to be removed from children¹s replica sports shirts in sponsorship contracts signed after January 1, 2008. The new measures also incorporate a voluntary "best practice" section giving advice on matters such as labelling and website age verification pages.

A poll on thepublican.com conducted last week has revealed that 93 per cent of licensees think banning the words shooters and slammers will not stop people binge-drinking.

See The Publican¹s Drinks section for the full interview next week.