Alcohol industry’s ad complaint thrown out

Complaints raised by the alcohol industry against a television advertisement linking alcohol with increased cancer risk have been dismissed.

Complaints against an advertisement linking cancer and alcohol consumption have been thrown out by the ASA

The ad, played in the north-east of England, was launched by local alcohol campaign group Balance and shows a tumour growing inside a glass of beer.

A bid was therefore launched by the British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA), the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA) and the Society of Independent Brewers (SIB) to ban the advertisement.

In a complaint filed with the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), the trade bodies challenged whether the ad was “misleading and irresponsible”, claiming that it amounted to “scaremongering” and gave the impression that drinking moderately would increase someone’s risk of developing cancer.

In the ad, a man is shown taking a sip of a glass of beer, where a tumour begins to grow. As the man took the final sips of beer from the glass, the tumour was seen sliding down the glass towards his mouth.

A voiceover then states: “The World Health Organisation classifies alcohol as a group one carcinogen.  Like tobacco and asbestos, it can cause cancer. The more you drink and the more often you drink, the more you increase your risk of developing cancer.  Find out how you can reduce your risk. Go to reducemyrisk.tv.”

However, Balance, part of the County Durham & Darlington NHS Foundation Trust, claimed that the north-east of England experienced some of the worst alcohol-related health problems.

Furthermore, in a recent survey, 91% of adults believed they drank moderately when 38% were actually drinking above the recommended government levels.

Balance also claimed that it is a proven fact that drinking alcohol increases the risk of developing cancer, adding that it did not intend to be “alarmist” in the advertisement and intended to show the possible negative effects of “routine drinking”.

Cancer risk consensus

The ASA reviewed academic papers provided by Balance and consequently “understood that there was general consensus in the scientific and medical communities that the consumption of alcohol could increase an individual’s risk of developing particular cancers”.

The agency also noted that there was evidence to suggest that even moderate consumption could increase an individual’s risk of developing cancer.

A concluding statement from the ASA read: “We did not consider that the ad over-emphasised the risk of developing alcohol related cancers, or suggested that viewers should significantly reduce their intake or abstain from the consumption of alcohol completely.

“In addition, we noted that the ad encouraged viewers to visit the website www.reducemyrisk.tv and find out more about the government’s recommended guidelines and for guidance regarding their own drinking habits.

“Therefore, we concluded that the ad was not misleading or irresponsible.”