Eurocare Supports MUP

A number of alcohol producers across the world have been sending letters to the European Commission arguing against minimum pricing. Eurocare has sought to redress the imbalance by writing to the EU President Manual Baroso in support of the pricing strategy. In their letter Tiziana Codenotti, President of Eurocare and Mariann Skar, General Secretary, point out that, among health professionals, there has been increasing awareness of the effect of the price of the cheapest alcohol and this is why Scotland has favoured the approach of Minimum Unit Pricing in preference to overall price increases. Attention is drawn to the study on the impact of minimum pricing in Canada published in Addiction 2011. The conclusion from the study seems clear, longitudinal estimates suggest that a 10% increase in the minimum price of an alcoholic beverage reduced its consumption relative to other beverages by 16.1%. Increases in minimum prices of an alcoholic beverage can substantially reduce alcohol consumption. The letter also drew attention to the RAND Report prepared for DG Sanco in 2009 on “The affordability of alcoholic beverages in the European Union Understanding the link between alcohol affordability, consumption and harms.” In nearly all countries examined, alcohol had become more affordable over the last twelve years. In six countries (Lithuania, Estonia, Latvia, Finland, Slovakia and Ireland) affordability of alcohol increased by 50% or more.

Eurocare states that it is “firmly convinced that addressing the price of cheap alcohol would assist in reduction of alcohol related harm and Member States should be supported by the European Commission to take such actions. It hopes that the European Commission will demonstrate its dedication to protection of health of the European citizens by supporting the Scottish Government plans to introduce minimum pricing for alcoholic beverages.”

Canada

Meanwhile, in Canada, new alcohol pricing research papers support the case for minimum pricing and confirm that changes to price policy can reduce alcoholrelated harm.

Written by Gerald Thomas, Senior Research and Policy Analyst with the Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse, the alcohol pricing series examines drinking trends in Canada, the retail environment, and existing price policies in six provinces. It endorses the price policy recommendations first proposed in the 2007 report, Reducing Alcohol-Related Harm in Canada: Toward a Culture of Moderation, which provides the framework for Canada’s national alcohol strategy.

“Addressing alcohol-related harm in Canada requires a targeted approach aimed at the regular heavy and high-risk drinkers, as well as a population-wide approach to address the large number of people who sometimes drink in risky ways,” explained Mr Thomas.

Research has shown that price policies can reduce alcohol consumption and correspondingly, the likelihood of injuries, violence, cancers and even death.

One of the report's key recommendations is for the provinces and territories to implement minimum alcohol pricing consistently to remove inexpensive sources of alcohol from the market.

“Cheap, high-strength alcohol is often favoured by heavy drinkers and young adults,” said Mr Thomas. “Establishing minimum pricing will deter risky drinking. Light to moderate drinkers will be less affected, particularly those who choose low- to regular-strength alcohol products.”

The complete alcohol pricing series, including the price policy brief, is available for download on the CCSA web.