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Special Feature – No. 35
The Problems of Ultra-Cheap (Retail) Alcohol
In many countries around the world, alcohol has become more affordable in the past years. Most countries lack evidence-based public health-oriented alcohol excise taxation. And only few countries implement an alcohol floor price, to prevent harmful alcohol industry practices of cheap alcohol. The alcohol industry, both large producers and large retail stores, are using ultra-cheap alcohol products to drive sales and profits. But these practices are causing tremendous health, social, and economic harms.
When alcohol is ultra-cheap and becoming more affordable it creates and perpetuates many problems for people, communities, and societies at large. Cheap alcohol and related problems is harming health, threatening safety, draining resources, and entrenching inequalities.
The alcohol industry is set to continue its practices – often aided by governments that are under the influence of Big Alcohol.
But communities around the world are advocating for change, requesting modern, pro-health alcohol taxation, minimum alcohol pricing, and investments in health promotion from the generated revenues.
Alcohol Issues Podcast – Season 2 Episode 1
How the Alcohol Industry Misrepresents the Truth About Alcohol and Cardiovascular Health
Alcohol’s harm on cardiovascular health is arguably the area where scientific knowledge and public awareness have progressed most slowly in the last decade. In addition to inaction, the myth of alcohol’s benefits for cardiovascular health persists. And in policy making processes this misunderstanding is a critical impediment to accelerating action on alcohol as public health priority. But this is changing.
In this episode of the Alcohol Issues Podcast host Maik Dünnbier welcomes Mark Petticrew and May van Schalkwyk to explore why change is needed and how it can be further accelerated.
- Mark is Professor of Public Health Evaluation in the Department of Social and Environmental Health Research at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. He is Director of the NIHR Public Health Research Unit.
- May is Specialist Registrar in Public Health and (NIHR) National Institute for Health Research Doctoral Research Fellow at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, researching the commercial determinants of health.
