WEEKLY ALCOHOL ISSUES
Week 11, March 15 – March 19, 2021
This week’s Special Feature covers alcohol and tobacco industry interference in the World Health Organization’s consultation process to develop a global action plan in order to improve the implementation of the WHO Global Alcohol Strategy; we share two pieces of analysis of alcohol industry submissions: front groups, think tanks and their Big Tobacco strategies to derail the alcohol action plan development; we also cover a reaction of leading scientists to a proposal in the working document about labelling self-regulation; and we offer a brand new podcast for more in-depth conversation…
Alcohol issues from our Policy Newsfeed cover the launch of a WHO tool for dementia risk reduction; soaring online alcohol deliveries in the US; Sweden’s reaction to the EU’s new “Beating Cancer Plan”; and the alcohol-free beer boom in Japan…
Alcohol issues from our Science Digest cover the science of prevention and the role of parents in adolescents alcohol initiation and consumption…
Alcohol issues from our Big Alcohol Watch expose a new agreement between Heineken and Coca-Cola in Brazil; and we reveal that Norway’s Wealth Fund considers divesting from alcohol giant Kirin…
Special Feature – Week 11:
BIG ALCOHOL AND BIG TOBACCO INTERFERE TO DERAIL DEVELOPMENT OF WHO GLOBAL ALCOHOL ACTION PLAN
Most recently, the World Health Organization published all submissions to their web-based consultation about the development of a global alcohol action plan.
In total 253 submissions were made, including more than 70 Big Alcohol submissions. Controversially, the alcohol industry is allowed to contribute. Alcohol industry submissions come from producers, retailers, marketers of alcohol as well as lobby front groups and think tanks.
Rapid analysis of think tank submissions reveals that, they are all connected to a strategic ally of Big Tobacco, some of which are even directly funded by the tobacco industry. Content analysis of 16 submissions of major alcohol industry front groups reveals the deployment of Big Tobacco strategies to undermine and derail the development of an effective alcohol action plan.
The alcohol industry is clearly deploying Big Tobacco’s network and strategies to spoil the global effort of accelerating action on alcohol as a public health priority.
A group of leading scientists is also directing criticism at a specific proposal in the working document: co-regulation of alcohol labelling.
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