Latest Jurisdiction to Introduce MUP: Jersey
Jersey is the latest jurisdiction to introduce the highly effective minimum unit price (MUP) policy to reduce alcohol harm.
Jersey, officially known as Bailiwick of Jersey, is a British Crown dependency. It is part of the Channel Islands archipelago and located near the coast of Normandy, France. Jersey is a self-governing parliamentary democracy under a constitutional monarchy, with its own financial, legal and judicial systems, and the power of self determination. The Lieutenant Governor on the island is the personal representative of the Queen.
The MUP policy was first introduced in Scotland in 2018. In the short time since the policy has been implemented in Scotland, the country is already seeing a reduction in alcohol consumption. Following the positive results seen in Scotland, recently, Wales also implemented MUP policy.
Jersey has implemented the policy to tackle alcohol harm and specifically heavy alcohol use in the country. The set minimum price for a unit of alcohol is now 50 pence.
Mark Cox, acting chief executive of the Channel Islands Co-operative Society believes the policy will not have a significant economic impact on their sales.
Simon Soar, chief executive of the Jersey Hospitality Association, said the policy rectified the imbalance in alcohol sales in the on- and off-trade. He said the off-trade uses the strategy of selling alcohol at extremely low prices and even below cost to compete for customers and drive sales. The new MUP policy will put a stop to cheap alcohol in Jersey.