'Government set to ban happy hours as part of binge drinking battle'

The government is to propose a ban on happy hours in pubs and clubs as part of plans to tackle binge drinking. Ministers believe that the drinks trade cannot be trusted to abide by voluntary codes. The Department of Health (DoH) and the Home Office will shortly consult the public on new measures to curb the irresponsible sale of alcohol. A voluntary code of practice, introduced in 2005 by the drinks trade, is likely to be dismissed as ineffective in a report for the government by the accountants KPMG. A DoH source indicated that ministers now believe a legal ban may be necessary. - Sunday Times​

Drinks firms will be forced to put "cigarette-style" health warnings on all cans and bottles of booze. The tough clampdown is in the wake of the industry's failure to tackle soaring levels of alcohol-related illness and booze-fuelled violence, highlighted in a report out this week. Booze could also have special barcodes for each individual store so police can identify which sell alcohol to underage drinkers. Bars pushing wine in extra large 250ml glasses may be forced to offer smaller glasses as well. - Sunday Mirror​

As many as one in four Britons have a much-reduced risk of developing alcohol-related cancer thanks to their genetic make-up, scientists have discovered. Researchers have identified two genes that quickly flush alcohol out of the system, thus reducing its carcinogenic effect. People carrying one or both of the genes may have only half the chance of developing mouth, throat and oesophageal cancers that are strongly associated with drinking. - Observer​

A brewery which claims to make the strongest beer in Britain is under renewed attack for creating a drink called Speedball — the name of the notorious heroin-cocaine cocktail which claimed the lives of the actors John Belushi and River Phoenix. Health campaigners have previously criticised the company, BrewDog, after it launched Tokyo, a stout with an alcohol content of 12 per cent, twice that of the strongest mainstream beers and stronger than the average wine. Speedball, by comparison, is less strong, with an alcohol by volume content of 8 per cent, but its name angered politicians and health campaigners. - Sunday Times​

Coors UK, which owns lager brand Carling, is trying to convert women to the beer cause with premium variants such as Blue Moon - a Belgian-style beer flavoured with coriander and served with a slice of orange - and champagne and beer hybrid Kasteel Cru. It will also promote virtues such as beer's lower alcohol and calorie count compared with wine. "Historically, all the industry has been interested in doing is trying to get men to choose a particular beer, a policy that has ignored half of the population," says Coors UK chief executive Mark Hunter. "We're trying to get to the heart of why, compared to other markets, beer is not seen as an attractive proposition by women." - Observer​