Alcohol industry and related vested interest
Global alcohol producers and their global brands of beer, spirits and wine are expanding to every corner of the world, searching for growth in emerging markets that are key to maximizing future profits. The enormous market power exercised by those global companies easily translates into political power on the state and global levels. That power may be a formidable force impeding progress in the fight to reduce and prevent NCD. As WHO Director General Dr. Margaret Chan said at the Health for All Conference in Helsinki in 2013, “Efforts to prevent non-communicable diseases go against the business interests of powerful economic operators. In my view, this is one of the biggest challenges facing health promotion.”
Health researchers call for alcohol industry to prove no harm in funding of sports
Researchers from Australia and the UK are calling for a new approach to the debate over whether alcohol industry sponsorship of sports increases drinking among sports participants. They want to shift the burden of proof to the alcohol industry.
Alcohol industry’s self regulation of advertising does not work
Alcohol companies do not abide with their own codes of conduct, according to a new review of alcohol advertising in the UK. The industry still promotes alcohol to young people, according to a report presented in the British Medical Journal.
Drinks industry supplanting government role in Sub-Saharan Africa
The multinational drinks industry has made attempts to take control over alcohol policy formulation in a number of African countries.
Swedish Radio examines an emerging alcohol market - in the third world
Two journalists of the Swedish radio documentary "Kaliber" visited Malawi and filed a report about those who experience the alcohol problems first hand, and the industry representative that think there is no alochol problem in the country.
Drinks industry supplanting government role in alcohol policies in Sub-Saharan Africa
In a number of Sub-Saharan countries the drinks industry has usurped a governmental role by designing national alcohol policies. Its motive is clearly to safeguard its own vested interests by directing the development of alcohol policies!
International expert meeting: Alcohol research must be protected from industry influence
To protect the integrity and legitimacy of alcohol research, there should be no funding relationship between the alcohol industry and the research community. This was the conclusion from an expert meeting in Dublin, 15-16 May, where experiences with the industry from Europe, the US and the South were presented.
Developing countries: PROMISING NEW MARKETS FOR THE ALCOHOL INDUSTRY
In order to develop effective strategies to prevent alcohol-related harm on has to take into account the role of the vested interests behind production and sale of alcohol beverages. One of the key reasons behind increasing alcohol consumtion in developing societies is the aggressive marketing, and also the tough lobbying on national governments, from the big beer and liquour producers.
Policy papers on alcohol industry
AlcoholPolicyMD.com is a website dedicated to promoting physician and community action on alcohol and health. Two policy papers published by the American Medical Association focus on the alcohol industry, its structure and organization and ask if it partner or foe?
Resumption of WTO talks
The negotiations processes under the World Trade Organizations are now resumed, however only on an informal level or what has been called a soft resumption.
A call for action: Influencing the GATS negotiations
Some of the discussions under the GATS Agreement are of great importance for the future of national alcohol control policies, not the least in developing countries where we see increasing alcohol consumption as a result of economic development.
