‘It’s somewhere here, isn’t it’? The provision of information and health warnings for alcoholic beverages sold online in New Zealand and the United Kingdom
Original paper
Overview
Online retailers are doing a “woeful” job of alerting consumers to alcohol health information and warnings, according to the results of a University of Auckland-led study.
The study examined the presence, type and location of mandatory and voluntary health information and warnings consumers are exposed to when shopping online for alcohol in the United Kingdom and Aotearoa New Zealand.
A total of 1407 randomly sampled alcoholic beverages (705 in Aotearoa and 702 in the UK) from 14 online alcohol retailers (seven per country) were reviewed.
The study identified woeful inadequacies regarding the viewing of mandatory alcohol health information within an online retail setting, as well as a near absence of any voluntary health warnings on alcoholic beverages,” says Business School Associate Professor Bodo Lang, one of the study authors.
While consumers in both the UK and Aotearoa do not have sufficient opportunity to be exposed to health information and warnings, New Zealand consumers are particularly at risk because of low levels of information provision at the online point of sale.”
Bodo Lang, Associate Professor, Business School, University of Auckland
Even though certain beverage information and health warnings are not mandatory in the UK, says Dr Lang, consumers there have a far greater chance of being exposed to health information than in New Zealand, where such information is mandatory.
For example, despite the number of alcoholic drinks per bottle being a mandatory display requirement for online alcohol sales in Aotearoa, the study found that just 5% of the beverages examined had the number of alcoholic drinks per bottle displayed on either the product page or imagery.
Meanwhile, displaying the number of drinks per bottle in the UK isn’t required; however, the information was available for 69% of the alcoholic drinks advertised.
Showing the alcohol by volume percentage of a drink is also mandatory in Aotearoa but not in the UK. However, the study found that online alcohol retailers in the UK were also more inclined to display this information than New Zealand retailers.
The alcohol percentage information was visible on the product page for 92% of alcoholic beverages sold online in the UK, compared to 31% in Aotearoa. It was displayed on the product imagery of 38% of the 705 New Zealand drinks sampled and 43% of the 702 UK drinks. Meanwhile, 69% of alcoholic beverages in New Zealand online stores did not display alcohol volume percentage at all, compared to 8% of the UK sample.
Unfortunately, consumers are even less likely to be exposed to this health information than the numbers suggest, says Dr Lang, as per University of Auckland.
Most consumers don’t click on product images, and as such, they’re limited to the information provided on the product page.
When taking this into account, the opportunity to be exposed to mandatory information drops further. For example, the standard drinks per bottle were not visible for a single product on New Zealand retailers’ product pages.”
In both countries, alcohol policy needs to stipulate that mandatory health information and warnings should be clearly viewable on the product page and product imagery of online alcohol retailers.”
Bodo Lang, Associate Professor, Business School, University of Auckland
Abstract
Introduction
Alcohol beverages in many countries are required to display health information and warnings on all product packaging, given the individual and societal harm caused by alcohol. It is unclear whether consumers purchasing alcohol online are able to easily view such information. This study examines the presence, type and location of mandatory and voluntary health information and warnings consumers are exposed to when entering online alcohol retail shopping environments in the United Kingdom (UK) and New Zealand (NZ).
Methods
Using an observational study design, 1407 randomly sampled alcoholic beverages from 14 online alcohol retailers (7 per country) were reviewed to ascertain the visual presence or absence of mandatory and voluntary health information and warnings.
Results
UK online alcohol retailers were more compliant than NZ retailers in showing mandatory health information (e.g., alcohol by volume percentage was visible on 92% of alcoholic beverages sold online in the UK, compared to 31% in NZ).
A similar pattern was noted for voluntary health warnings.
Online retailers in both countries had a low proportion of alcohol products with the viewable mandatory information, and voluntary health warnings were rarely present and/or viewable.
Discussion and Conclusions
Mandatory health information and warnings for alcoholic beverages are not fully adhered to within the UK and NZ online retail environments, impacting the ability of consumers to make informed purchase decisions.
In both countries, alcohol policy needs to stipulate that mandatory health information and warnings should be clearly viewable on the product page and product imagery of online alcohol retailers.
Highlights and conclusion
Less than one third of alcoholic beverages sold online in New Zealand display mandatory health information and warnings, according to a new study from the University of Auckland.
New Zealand law requires that manufacturers display specific health information on their products to meet the relevant food standards code, but there is currently no obligation for retailers to make this information visible to customers.
Researchers said this is a significant policy gap that needs to be addressed, and noted that voluntary health warnings, such as those relating to driving under the influence of alcohol and pregnancy, were rarely visible online.
The study examines the presence, type and location of mandatory and voluntary health information and warnings consumers are exposed to when entering online alcohol retail shopping environments in Britain and New Zealand.
- The result showed that British online alcohol retailers were more compliant than New Zealand retailers in showing mandatory health information. For instance, alcohol by volume percentage was visible on 92 percent of alcoholic beverages sold online in Britain, compared to 31 percent in New Zealand.
- Online retailers in both countries had a low proportion of alcohol products with viewable mandatory information, and voluntary health warnings were rarely present or viewable, according to the study.
- Alcohol policies in both countries need to stipulate that mandatory health information and warnings should be clearly viewable on the product page and product imagery of online alcohol retailers.
