21 November 2018: Responding to the publication of the new Scottish Alcohol Framework, Sir Ian Gilmore, chair of the Alcohol Health Alliance UK (AHA), comments:
“We welcome the publication of the new Scottish Alcohol Framework, and especially the commitments to take action on alcohol labelling and marketing, and the pledge to review the current minimum unit price of 50p.
Alcohol has become one the three biggest lifestyle risk factors for disease and death in the UK, and every day more than 25 people die of alcohol-related causes. It is great to see that the Scottish Government is taking the lead and implementing policies that will help to reduce alcohol harm and protect our children and grandchildren.
The current self-regulation systems for alcohol labelling and marketing are failing to protect consumers. Our recent report showed that less than 10% of alcohol labels inform consumers about the low-risk drinking guidelines and none contained specific health warnings, such as for cancer. At the same time, we know there is strong support from the public for better labelling measures and alcohol marketing restrictions.
We now need the UK Government to follow and ensure that people in England are not left behind. The UK Government is currently working on the alcohol strategy for England, and we urge them to take Scotland as an example and bring in the same measures, including minimum unit pricing.”