[ISSUED ON BEHALF OF SCOTTISH HEALTH ACTION ON ALCOHOL PROBLEMS]
SCOTTISH HEALTH ACTION ON ALCOHOL PROBLEMS
Press Release
15 April 2013
Leading Scottish medical experts in the fields of alcohol, tobacco and nutrition will today (15 April 2013) call on industry to put people and health before profits and publicly commit to more responsible and ethical business practices, as it is believed commercial activities threaten to undermine public health and democratic decision-making in Scotland. They will also launch a related report “The ‘(Ir)responsibility Deal’: Public Health and Big Business”.
In recent decades there has been a significant increase in harm to health caused by alcohol, tobacco and poor diet. This has resulted in increased death rates from liver disease and a range of cancers and to the development of a number of chronic and life-limiting conditions. People living in the most deprived and disadvantaged communities in Scotland have been disproportionately affected by this health impact. As understanding has improved regarding the link between alcohol, tobacco, poor diet and poor health, a range of progressive public health measures offering great potential to reduce the burden of disease have been proposed. Regrettably, this desire to improve the public health has not been shared by some parts of industry, where vested commercial interests and a desire to increase sales and profit margins have been in conflict with these public health objectives. During this time these industries have deployed a number of tactics to increase sales and obstruct public health measures. This has included –
ADOPTION OF TOBACCO INDUSTRY PRACTICES TO DELAY MINIMUM PRICING OF ALCOHOL
Unethical industry tactics in targeting and exploiting new markets, often involving young people and increasingly using social marketing to bypass regulation, are well documented. Regrettably, Scottish medical experts believe it is now also clear that the drinks industry in Scotland is replicating tactics used by the multinational tobacco industry to oppose government policies designed to improve the public health. In Scotland this has involved channelling industry funding and opposition through interest groups and mounting a legal challenge to the introduction of minimum pricing. In parallel, at a UK level, the drinks industry has sought to be seen to encourage responsible drinking while using sophisticated marketing to increase alcohol sales rather than meaningfully supporting policy measures aimed at reducing alcohol-related health harm.
Against this background, Scottish Health Action on Alcohol Problems (SHAAP) [1] will today be holding an event at which Scottish medical and public health experts will review the health harm caused by alcohol consumption, smoking and poor diet in Scotland and detail industry practices which have been adopted across these areas to hamper the implementation of evidence-based health policies [2]. The event will feature presentations from Dr Peter Rice (Chair, Scottish Health Action on Alcohol Problems), Dr James Friend (Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh) and Prof Mike Lean (Chair of Human Nutrition, University of Glasgow), who will collectively call on industry to put people and health before profits and adopt more responsible business practices, and will be chaired by Prof Gerard Hastings (Professor of Social Marketing, University of Stirling).
Dr Peter Rice, Chair of Scottish Health Action on Alcohol Problems, said,
“As medical professionals we are confronted on a daily basis by the health toll caused by excessive alcohol consumption. The connection between the price of alcohol and the level of consumption is well established and informed the Scottish Government’s adoption of minimum pricing as a policy measure and enactment into legislation. It is therefore of great concern that the drinks industry in Scotland has mounted a legal challenge to this much-needed measure and appears intent on ignoring the will of the democratically elected Scottish Government and a majority of MSPs.
“The tactics deployed by the drinks industry are not new and borrow heavily from those used by the multinational tobacco industry which over a number of decades has sought to block health policies contrary to its profit-making objectives, ignored evidence of adverse health impact and has similarly sought to undermine the Scottish Parliament by mounting legal challenges to smoking legislation.
“The time has come for the parts of the drinks industry which oppose minimum pricing to drop their opposition, to put people and health before profits and to meaningfully and publicly commit to more responsible and ethical business practices [3]. In recent years Scotland has emerged as a health leader. We would encourage the drinks industry in Scotland to demonstrate similar leadership and commitment to the people of Scotland rather than seeking to undermine democratic decision-making and emulate the discredited practices of the tobacco industry. ”
Dr James Friend, Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh, said,
“Tobacco constitutes a major threat to individuals and the public throughout the world, and it is a responsibility of public health workers and legislatures to do everything possible to reduce its use, since it is harmful to health at all dose levels. Having changed from a society where smoking was the social norm and people were against any restriction, over the last two decades the population has increasingly recognised the harm of tobacco use, and of second-hand smoke exposure, and the move to smoke-free public places has gained wide acceptance, including by smokers. Public support for public health measures is crucial, and has to be achieved in the face of the propaganda of commercial interests.”
Prof Mike Lean, Chair of Human Nutrition, University of Glasgow, said,
“As health professionals, we see it across all our disciplines – from the GP’s surgery to the operating table and everything in between. So it is no exaggeration to say that obesity is the biggest public health crisis facing the UK today. Yet too often, vested interests dub it too complex to tackle. It’s now time to stop making excuses and instead begin forging alliances, trying new innovations to see what works and acting quickly to tackle obesity head on - otherwise the majority of this country’s health budget could be consumed by an entirely avoidable condition.”
Prof Gerard Hastings, Professor of Social Marketing, University of Stirling, said,
“I am delighted to chair this important event which will focus attention on the tactics used by those in the alcohol, tobacco and food industries to increase sales when their products have been linked to health harm and in the face of progressive public health policies. The business sector is not shy of putting forward its view of how the world should be organised for the greater good of business. If public health can develop a similar boldness of purpose we will be able to graduate from seeking to reduce specific harm once it has been caused, to a pre-emptive approach that actively promotes better public health and prevents harm from occurring.”
CALL TO ACTION
In recent months, there has been much public discussion about the unintended consequences of unregulated free markets. The new SHAAP publication [4] will raise public awareness of the impact of irresponsible business and unethical practices in the fields of alcohol, tobacco and nutrition on the health of the people of Scotland. The event will provide a springboard for public health stakeholders to galvanise their actions, building a coalition that will challenge the supremacy of commercial over public health interests.
ENDS
Contact: Graeme McAlister on 0131-247-3693 or 07733-263453 / Eric Carlin on 0131-247-3665 or 07505-081784
Notes to Editors
[1] Scottish Health Action on Alcohol Problems (SHAAP) is an independent medical advocacy organisation set up by the Scottish Medical and Nursing Royal Colleges to raise awareness of the nature and extent of harm linked to alcohol use in Scotland, and to campaign for evidence-based measures to reduce this harm. www.shaap.org.uk
[2] The event, “The ‘Irresponsibility Deal’? Public Health and Big Business”, will be held from 12.00 – 2.00pm on 15 April 2013 at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh and is by invitation. Journalists wishing to attend as observers should call Graeme McAlister on 0131-247-3693 or 07733-263453 or Eric Carlin on 0131-247-3665 or 07505-081784
[3] Not all parts of the industry do oppose the introduction of minimum unit pricing of alcohol, for example as evidenced in a letter to The Telegraph, Friday, 12th April 2013 where 12 heads of pubs, nightclubs and breweries plead with David Cameron to stick to his plans. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/comment/letters/9987875/Government-introduction-of-a-minimum-unit-price-on-alcohol-will-have-far-reaching-benefits.html
[4] The SHAAP publication “The ‘(Ir)responsibility Deal’: Public Health and Big Business” can be downloaded from SHAAP’s website www.shaap.org.uk from 15 April 2013.
Issued on behalf of Scottish Health Action on Alcohol Problems
