It's not Heineken's fault we binge drink

The UK's most powerful health groups and charities think the Government isn't doing enough to force food and drink retailers and manufacturers to 'act responsibly'. But is it really up to companies to look after our health?

Last week, the Department of Health published details of the ‘Responsibility Deal’- its long–awaited commitment with industry to improve public health and tackle Britain’s bulge.

The initiative, which includes a series of voluntary pledges, had no shortage of industry support with over 170 signatures from food and drink retailers and manufacturers. The public response to the Deal and its specific pledges, however, was more mixed.

Hints about what would be promised by companies, including calorie information on food and non-alcoholic drinks out of home, clearer labelling on alcohol by the end of 2013 and more responsible alcohol promotion had emerged in recent months and undoubtedly led to a more muted response from the media.

However, fierce criticism from some of the UK’s most powerful health groups and charities in the days leading up to the launch of the Deal did little to help the cause and left question marks over its credibility.

Six leading health groups including national charity Alcohol Concern, the British Medical Association and Diabetes UK, who were previously involved in working up the pledges, refused to sign up.

They claimed the Deal was too soft to realistically solve the UK’s alcohol problem.

Their support holds the key to the Deal’s success and has left the initiative looking more than a little precarious – so were they right to pull out?

Controversial concerns

The controversy around the alcohol pledges largely centred around accountability. Alcohol Concern CEO Don Shenker complained the Deal was “all carrot and no stick for the industry and supermarkets” and warned there were no firm targets or sanctions if companies didn’t play ball.

However, the Government is forcing all members who sign up to the pledges to publish progress on their efforts in annual corporate communication and to feed back directly to the Department of Health who will be watching on closely.

Surely this leaves them open to some uncomfortable questions from the Government and the public if they don’t hit their targets and should go some way to quelling Alcohol Concern’s “serious reservations” about sanctions.

Not surprisingly the Government’s Food Network, which was responsible for developing the pledges, has defended them.

“The companies who have committed to these pledges have raised expectations amongst the public,” said chairwoman Susan Jebb.

“Consumer organisations and the media are very good at challenging those who don’t deliver and that is a serious threat for them.”

Going the extra mile

In addition to the collective pledges, some companies are going the extra mile to make Brits healthier.

Heineken, for example, has promised to reduce the strength of one of its top-selling brands by 2013, which, it says, would remove 100 million units of alcohol annually from the UK.

Experts have tipped popular cider brand Strongbow, which has been inextricably linked to teenage binge drinking, as the obvious target as its strength varies from pub to supermarket shelf (4.5% versus 5.3% alcohol by volume) but the drinks giant is yet to reveal the brand’s identity.

Healthier lifestyle choices

The Government’s public health white paper last year made it absolutely clear that the Responsibility Deal was just one strand of policy in its battle to promote healthier lifestyle choices in the UK and hinted it was not afraid to use other levers at its disposal – i.e. stronger intervention and regulation – if companies and consumers don’t club together and change their habits.

And therein lies the rub. Pressure from health groups may encourage the Government to take a harder stance, which is no bad thing. But I think, while these corporate efforts to reformulate food and drink should be welcomed, they will always only be half the equation.

At least part of the ‘responsibility’ in this Deal lies with consumers who need to care more about what they put in their mouths.

And on this challenge, we’re only at the end of the beginning.

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