Doctors call for action on cheap booze

The UK's two biggest supermarket groups were in open competition today to talk tough on binge drinking as leading doctors called for stronger Government action against the "epidemic" of alcohol abuse.

Tesco, the market leader, said that its chief executive, Sir Terry Leahy – described by one Labour MP last December as "the godfather of British binge drinking" – had personally discussed the issue with the Prime Minister and promised to work with others in the industry to tackle the problem.

Tesco pointed out that competition law prevented retailers from any discussion of prices between themselves, meaning that Government would have to take the lead in developing "responsible pricing" policies.

But only hours after Tesco issued a statement on the issue, Asda, the country's No 2 supermarket group, announced that it was ready to unveil and go ahead with its own measures against under-age drinking without any need for lengthy debate.

“We are already talking to Government about what we can do now as an industry and a company to tackle this issue," Andy Bond, the Asda chief executive, said.

“We will be announcing a package of measures on Monday that focus on restricting access to alcohol in our stores. We believe our proposals can be easily adopted by the entire retail industry immediately, and will go a long way towards tackling the issue without the need for further legislation or delay.”

Between them the two supermarket groups account for almost 50 per cent of the supermarket sector. Both groups have been accused in the past of selling alcohol at heavily reduced prices – sometimes even below the wholesale cost as a "loss leader" to draw in customers.

In a hard-hitting study released today, the British Medical Association said that Britain was "in the midst of an epidemic" of alcohol abuse.

The BMA pointed to alarming statistics on how much UK youngsters, particularly teenage girls, drink. British teenagers are among the most likely in Europe to report heavy drinking and being intoxicated.

The report called for higher taxes on alcoholic drinks, proportionate to the amount of alcohol in the product and an end to “irresponsible” promotional activities such as happy hours and two-for-one offers.

It also urged standardised labels on bottles and cans that state alcohol units, recommended guidelines for consumption and a warning message saying how exceeding guidelines may cause harm and called for the drink-driving limit to be reduced from 80mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood to 50mg per 100ml.

Dr Vivienne Nathanson, the BMA’s head of science and ethics, said: “Recent governments have worked too closely with the alcohol industry and have pursued policies of deregulation and liberalisation regarding alcohol control.

“As doctors, we see first-hand how alcohol misuse destroys lives. It causes family breakdowns, is a major factor in domestic violence, ruins job prospects, is often related to crime and disorderly behaviour and it kills.

“Alcohol misuse is related to over 60 medical conditions including heart and liver disease, diabetes, strokes and mental health problems.

“The Government approach has led to increased consumption levels and alcohol-related problems and demonstrates a failure in the political drive to improve public health and order.”

“The BMA is very worried about alcohol consumption among young people, particularly young girls. It is shocking that, in Europe, the UK’s teenagers are most likely to be heavy drinkers.”

The report said that huge public awareness campaigns may be “politically attractive” and increase people’s knowledge about drinking too much but are ineffective if not backed by sound policy.

Dr Hamish Meldrum, chairman of the BMA, said: “Our report is making some tough recommendations but if the Government is serious about tackling this issue, this is what is needed.

“Since 1997, taxes on wine and beer in the UK have only increased in line with inflation, while taxes on spirits have not increased at all.

"There is strong and consistent evidence that price increases result in reduced consumption and that increased opening hours are associated with increased alcohol consumption and alcohol-related problems. The Government needs to act on this evidence.”

Professor Ian Gilmore, president of the Royal College of Physicians and chair of the UK Alcohol Health Alliance, welcomed the Tesco “turnaround”.

He said: “I welcome the change in position from Tesco and that they now acknowledge that price is an important driver in consumption of alcohol and alcohol-related harm.

“Only last week the chief executive was saying there was no evidence of a link between price and purchasing alcohol in their store. Alcohol is not an ordinary commodity. It is legal and it is part of our society but it is a drug and a drug of dependence in some people. It should not be subject to promotions and use as a loss leader.

“We would welcome the Government taking action to suspend competition law on alcoholic beverages. There can be an exception for alcohol. It’s not coffee or milk - it’s got real capacity to cause health damage if misused.”

He said there was evidence to show that increasing the price would hit heavy drinkers and under-age drinkers the most. "If you are drinking within safe limits, the impact on your pocket will be very small indeed,” he said.

Times