Now experts want ALCOHOL to be sold in plain packaging [Video]

Now experts want ALCOHOL to be sold in plain packaging

Alcohol should be sold in plain packaging or be plastered with cigarette-style health warnings, campaigners say. It comes after a study suggested uniform branding — mirroring how tobacco is sold — would be less appealing. Stirling University researchers believe doing so would help cut drinking rates. They warned attractive colours adorned on bottles of beer, wine and spirits could be dulling important medical warnings. The authors say their findings provide ‘pause for thought’ on ‘unrestricted’ alcohol boxes and wrappers. Alison Douglas, chief executive of Alcohol Focus Scotland — the charity that funded the study, called for immediate action.  She said: ‘Mandating health warnings on alcohol products would help to counter the attractiveness of packaging and address current low levels of knowledge of alcohol harm.’ But industry groups have hit back, saying making packaging appealing was common across all forms of marketing.  Would you still be in the mood for a Mars bar if it came with a photo of someone getting open heart surgery?  Experts suggest cigarette-style warnings on the nation’s favourite chocolate bars could help tackle obesity.  Similar pictures have adorned tobacco products since 2008 and are credited with pushing smoking rates down in the UK in recent years. Now experts from Cambridge University have shown cigarette-style packaging would also put people off junk food. Seven in 10 people chose a piece of fruit over a Galaxy, Mars, Dairy Milk or Snickers that had a graphic label, in one test of the tactic.  Messages alerted them to the risk of heart disease, obesity and cancer from eating ‘excess calories’. In comparison, only about 40 per cent of the volunteers chose fruit when they saw standard chocolate packaging.  Researchers claim emphasising the ‘relationship between the product and its health effects may be the key to targeting unhealthy food consumption’. The study found that random gruesome images that had no links to people’s health also put them off eating chocolate bars. Some participants were asked to choose between fruit or chocolate that had a photo of a dead dog that had been abandoned on the road. The study looked at whether young drinkers were influenced by the packaging when it came to deciding which alcoholic beverage to buy. It found some of the 50 young Scotts bought drinks based on seeing colourful, attractive or memorable packaging. Others opted for small packs for ease of drinking on public transport or concealing it from police, according to the study in the Journal for Studies on Alcohol and Drugs. Some participants reported downing 80 units per week — equivalent to roughly six pints of low strength beer, or 11 shots of spirits per day.  NHS recommendations say adults should not drink more than 14 units each week. Volunteers were presented with a range of alcoholic beverages sold in Britain, such as beer Stella Artois, vodka brand Smirnoff, and Gordon’s gin.  One young man said: ‘I don’t actually like beer, but I bought it [Brewdog] specifically because I liked the packaging.’   Another male said: ‘Colour is what attracts people, it’s all about colours.’ One female respondent said she preferred small packs of slim cans of wine like Barefoot as they ‘quick, easy, grab and go’ and therefore were easier to consume in public settings like trains whist avoiding attention from police.   Others reported keeping old bottles of ‘cool’, unusual, or expensive alcoholic drinks like Hendrick’s Gin or Crystal Head Vodka.     Lead researcher Daniel Jones said: ‘Alcohol packaging can capture attention, create appeal, and help shape perceptions of the product, drinker and drinking experience. ‘Our findings may help to inform future research and policies.  ‘Including prominent warnings on packs could reduce appeal, increase awareness of alcohol-related risks, and support a decrease in consumption.’ Since 2016, all tobacco products in the UK have had to be sold in drab, standardised packaging after health groups campaigned for the change.  Matt Lambert, chief executive of Britain’s alcohol marketing regulator, argued the study’s findings were unsurprising. ‘This study demonstrates that the packaging of a product…

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