Proposed minimum alcohol price levels inadequate, say health campaigners

Proposed minimum alcohol price levels inadequate, say North West health campaigners, Our Life

Government proposals for minimum alcohol price levels that will ban shops and bars from selling drinks for less than the tax they pay on them are “totally inadequate” and will have “little or no impact on improving public health,” according to North West health campaigners Our Life.

Our Life believes that the government has missed an opportunity to stop supermarkets selling alcohol at pocket-money prices.

Commenting on the proposals, Our Life chief executive, Dr Alison Giles, said: “These measures, which stop well short of setting a minimum unit price, will have little or no impact in tackling binge drinking and the rising tide of public order and health harms.”

“The proposals widely reported today talk about banning below cost sales but is anyone actually bothered about the fact that sales are 'below cost'? No they're not. What people are concerned about is tackling the very cheapest alcohol on the shelves to reduce harmful drinking, changing people's attitudes towards alcohol, and rebalancing the unequal marketplace between pubs and the off-trade. This move by government misses these points entirely,” said Dr Giles.

Our Life claimed that at the levels proposed the ban on below cost sales will make no meaningful difference to the prices being charged by the supermarkets.

“It’s very likely that this will still mean that you can buy two-litre bottles of cider for less than £1.50 and cans of lager cheaper than Coca Cola,” said Dr Giles.

“At these prices it is still too easy to get very drunk quickly and cheaply,” Dr Giles said. “Bargain prices in the supermarkets can mean huge bills for the taxpayer as the NHS and the police have to sort out the mess. The financial cost of alcohol-related harm to the NHS in the North West alone is in excess of £400 million per year,” Dr Giles claimed.

“The most effective method of enforcing a ban on below-cost selling is to introduce a minimum price of 50p per unit of alcohol. It’s widely accepted that such a step would save lives and save money,” Dr Giles said.