www.alkoholpolitik.ch

Background: Alcohol and drug prevention is high on the public health agenda in many countries. An increasing
trend is the call for evidence-based practice. In Sweden in 2002 an innovative project portfolio including an
integrated research and competence-building strategy for non-governmental organisations (NGOs) was designed
by the National Board of Health and Welfare (NBHW). This research strategy case study is based on this initiative.
Methods: The embedded case study includes 135 projects in 69 organisations and 14 in-depth process or effect
studies. …
Conclusions: This research strategy case study shows that it is possible to integrate research into alcohol and drug
prevention programs run by NGOs, and thereby contribute to a more evidence-based practice. A core element is
developing a trustful partnership between the researchers and the organisations. Moreover, the funding agency
must acknowledge the importance of knowledge development and allocating resources to research groups that is
capable of cooperating with practitioners and NGOs. (Source: Alcohol Reports, 5/26/11) substanceabusepolicy.com, 4/14/11

Lunch Seminar, Hosted by MEPs Anna Hedh (S&D) and Marian Harkin (ALDE), European Parliament (Brussels)- A3E-2Tuesday 21 June 2011 12h00 – 14h30
Alcohol is one of the most heavily marketed products on our shelves.
Young people are an important target audience for the alcohol industry and they are exposed to unprecedented levels of sophisticated marketing, from mass media advertising to sponsorship of events, product placement, internet, merchandise, social networks etc.
Alcohol marketing has a powerful impact on young people’s drinking behavior and undercut the efforts by public health authorities to reduce harmful drinking among youth.
The speakers will analyze the scientific evidence on the cumulative impact of alcohol marketing and will present the results of two recent European projects on how to better regulate the content and volume of marketing in order to protect young people.
Please click here to register (People who DO NOT have a pass to the European Parliament need to register before 14 June 2011).
If you need any further information please contact Eurocare’s office at ruth.ruiz(at)eurocare.org or 02 736 39 76.

The maker of the popular Tilt malt beverage is lowering the drink’s alcohol content from 12 percent to 8 percent for a 24-ounce container. Anheuser-Busch announced that the new drinks will be sold starting this summer.
The Wall Street Journal reports that Sparks flavored malt beverages made by MillerCoors also have a maximum of 8 percent alcohol by volume. The article notes that the changes to Tilt come as malt beverages such as Four Loko are being criticized for encouraging underage and binge drinking. … (Source: Join Together, 5/25/11)

Almost half of UK consumers (45%) are trying to lose weight, and nearly two thirds (62%) are worried about their bank balance, yet many don’t make the connection between their drinking and an expanding waistline or empty wallet, according to new research released today by alcohol awareness charity Drinkaware. … (Source: Medical News Today, 5/23/11)

Every so often at Marin Institute, we get a complaint from someone about an alcohol advertisement they’ve seen in their community they think shouldn’t be there. Most of the time, they’re right. In our role as industry watchdog, I’ve taken on the responsibility to report such complaints to the industry directly to get the ads removed as soon as possible.
However, we have made a deliberate decision to not use the industry’s official complaint process, because as we demonstrated with our report in 2008, it’s a failure and a charade. … (Source: Marin Institute, 5/17/11)

The consumption of alcohol makes a significant contribution to alcohol related harm globally. In emerging markets and among younger groups increased consumption is apparent. Effective policy is not implemented as widely as is needed. A concerted effort in controlling alcohol related harm is greatly needed and will involve multiple partners, including academia, civil society organizations and government bodies. Global cooperation can play a significant role in supporting and complementing worldwide national and local actions.
The Global Alcohol Policy Conference 2011 is jointly organized by government, intergovernmental and the NGO sector. The Thai Ministry of Public Health, the World Health Organization, the Global Alcohol Policy Alliance and the Thai Health Promotion Foundation are co hosts of the Global Alcohol Policy Conference 2011. The conference will mark an important milestone for global alcohol control efforts following on from the endorsement of the WHO Global Strategy on Alcohol in 2010. The conference will bring together leaders from all over the world who are committed to working towards the development and implementation of effective alcohol policy free from commercial influence. It will provide an opportunity for policy makers, advocates, academics, and campaigners to share and exchange their knowledge and experience. The conference will also be a platform for developing a truly global network and for discussing future efforts at the global level to reduce problems from alcohol. (Conference Website)

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has proposed new regulations for nationwide menu labeling for restaurants. That’s a good thing. However, as currently proposed, alcoholic beverages are exempted. That is not a good thing.
Over-consumption of calories and poor nutrition is a serious public health problem. Alcoholic beverages are a significant source of calories in the American diet. Currently, drinkers have no way of knowing how many calories are in what they’re consuming.
With such information prominently displayed for all menu items, consumers can make better choices that can improve their health rather than harm it.
Please join Marin Institute and other concerned organizations and individuals in telling the FDA to require that restaurants inform customers of the caloric content of alcoholic beverages.
For more information and to read Marin Institute’s talking points: http://www.marininstitute.org/site/blog/38-blog-entries/629-tell-fda.html

The consumption of alcohol makes a significant contribution to alcohol related harm globally. In emerging markets and among younger groups increased consumption is apparent. Effective policy is not implemented as widely as is needed. A concerted effort in controlling alcohol related harm is greatly needed and will involve multiple partners, including academia, civil society organizations and government bodies. Global cooperation can play a significant role in supporting and complementing worldwide national and local actions. …
The Global Alcohol Policy Conference 2011 is jointly organized by government, intergovernmental and the NGO sector. The Thai Ministry of Public Health, the World Health Organization, the Global Alcohol Policy Alliance and the Thai Health Promotion Foundation are co hosts of the Global Alcohol Policy Conference 2011. … (Source: Alcohol Reports, 5/9/11)

The First Global Ministerial Conference on Healthy Lifestyles and Non-Communicable Disease (NCDs) Control was held in Moscow in the end of April. On this global platform India and the world community achieved a big success for the future fight against NCDs. It is thanks to the strong efforts of the Indian delegation that from now on Mental Disorders are included in the list of NCDs .
“The members of IOGT International and surely millions of affected people and their families all over the world congratulate the WHO for this resolution and express our special thanks to the stern efforts of the Indian delegation. NCDs are a major threat to global health and societal development, killing three out of five humans in the world,” says Mr. Sven-Olov Carlsson, President of IOGT International. “We need as comprehensive a strategy as possible to tackle this problem and the Indian efforts truly contributed to this.” … (Source: Press release IOGT International 5/5/11: Press release_mental health and NCDs-2)

In an attempt to find yet another way to target the young female demographic, spirits producers have sprung new lines of premixed drinks designed and marketed to associate drinking their products with weight loss. This new trend toward spirits marketed as “low-cal” even has its own industry label: The “Thin-dustry.” This move by the spirits industry marks an obvious attempt to follow in the footsteps of the Big Beer duopoly, where for the past several years MillerCoors and Anheuser Busch InBev have seen success through marketing low-cal and low-carb beer lines targeted to both men and women. (Source: Marin Institute, 5/4/11)