The British Beer & Pub Association BBPA and its members will take action through the on-trade, to help deliver the pledge to remove a billion units of alcohol sold annually from the market, by the end of 2015.
The commitment is one of a new set of pledges from alcohol producers and retailers, working in partnership with the Government to tackle alcohol-related harm, which were presented to Ministers at an industry summit held on Monday, 7th July 2014.
Under the new pledge, The BBPA and its members agree to undertake one or more of the following actions and to report the action taken and progress on delivery to BBPA.
1. Pub-owning BBPA members to offer a house wine below 12.5% to their tenants/lessees and in their directly managed pubs.
2. Pub-owning members to actively promote lower-alcohol products in their pubs and to their tenants/lessees.
3. Pub-owning BBPA members to offer at least one non/lower alcohol beer to their tenants/lessees and in their directly managed outlets.
4. To include at least one non/lower-alcohol beer at every event undertaken on behalf of BBPA.
5. BBPA to organise one event per year specifically focused on non and lower alcohol beers – this would be aimed at consumer and health media.
6. To showcase non and lower alcohol beers on the Beer Genie website and through the Let There Be Beer campaign.
7. Brewers (who wholesale other brewers’ products) to offer at least one non/lower alcohol beers to their customers.
BBPA members have already introduced initiatives that will help to deliver the pledge. These include offering and promoting their lower-ABV wines through in-house publications and reducing the strength of both beer and house wines.
The BBPA is also contributing £50,000 through the industry’s grants fund, over two years to a new education pledge. Its objective is to provide a start-up fund for LEAF (Lifeskills Education and Alcohol Foundation) to establish programmes in a number of schools in its first two years.
Brigid Simmonds, BBPA Chief Executive, comments:
“This new commitment from the on-trade builds on the positive action already being achieved, with some great examples from our members to build on. It shows that Government support for partnership, through initiatives like this, delivers real results.”
“I also raised with Ministers, the need for changes to the ASA Advertising Codes, which currently do not allow us to promote lower-strength products in advertising campaigns. I would very much welcome their support, so we can make progress.”
ENDS
Notes to editors:
For full details of the new pledges, see the Home Office website here:
Ambition and timeframe
The objective of this pledge is to facilitate the BBPA and its members to commit to taking sector appropriate action to help deliver the pledge to remove a billion units of alcohol from the market, by the end of 2015.
Monitoring progress
BBPA members will report the action taken and progress on delivery to BBPA. BBPA will report an aggregate of delivery through one annual update on the Responsibility Deal website.
Monitoring delivery of the pledge will be included in the arrangements already in place to monitor delivery of pledge A8 to remove 1 billion units from the market by the end of 2015. This is measured on an industry-wide basis, includes using HMRC clearance data and sales data gathered by AC Nielsen market research.
Public health benefit expected
Increasing the range and number of different products available gives consumers more choice and allows them to consider choosing a lower alcohol option which can have a positive impact on health by reducing number of units consumed.
The British Beer & Pub Association is the leading body representing Britain’s brewers and pub companies. The Association is more than a century old and was originally founded as the Brewers’ Society in 1904. Our members account for some 96 per cent of beer brewed in Britain today, and own around 20,000 of the nation’s pubs.
For further information please contact:
Neil Williams, Head of Media: (020) 7627 9156
Gareth Barrett, Public Affairs Manager: (020) 7627 9154
Sophie McIntyre, Communications & Campaigns Officer: (020) 7627 9155
Neil Williams
Head of Media
British Beer & Pub Association
020 7627 9156
07974 249 779
www.beerandpub.com
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