Portman Group: Code consultation deadline in one week

The consultation on the Code of Practice for the Responsible Naming, Packaging and Promotion of Alcoholic Drinks, opened in October last year and is one of the pledges made by drinks producers under the Government’s Responsibility Deal.
The aim is to see if there are areas which need tightening up or extending within the self-regulatory framework.
Henry Ashworth, chief executive of the Portman Group said: “We are asking some big questions about the future of alcohol marketing regulation and we are keen for everyone who has an interest to get a response in to us.

"We want to make sure that the rules which apply to drinks producers marketing in the UK are of the highest standard and show how serious alcohol producers are about marketing their products responsibly.”

When the Code review was announced in October, Secretary of State for Health, Andrew Lansley, said: “A lot of health problems are caused by people drinking too much.

"To tackle this we need to make real changes to the way alcohol is sold and consumed in this country. Public health is everyone’s business and I want to see the drinks industry having a serious look at how it can improve the nation’s health.

“It is important that the alcohol industry markets their products responsibly. The Portman Group Code is well recognised as a good example of self-regulation and we welcome the timely review of these rules as part of the Responsibility Deal.”

Some of the questions being asked include:

• Should the Code be extended to cover all drinks producer marketing activity which is not otherwise regulated by the Advertising Standards Authority or Ofcom, including retailer-led promotions and public relations activity?

• Should the restrictions on promoting the strength of alcohol be changed to enable producers to promote products which are lower in strength?

• Should there be a binding requirement for companies to build a commitment to social responsibility into their sponsorship agreements – what should this commitment be?

• Should the Code be tightened even further to prevent any suggestion of sexual activity or that alcohol has therapeutic properties such as relaxation?

The Code applies to all alcohol sold or marketed in the UK regardless of whether alcohol producers are members of the Portman Group or one of the 150 signatories to the Code.

The Code was first introduced in 1996 and governs all pre-packaged alcohol sold or marketed in the UK. The consultation can be downloaded from the Portman Group’s website here​.
The consultation launched in October 2011 and closes on 31 January 2012.