Spirit firms launch responsible drinking body

Eight of the UK’s largest alcohol producers have launched a new organisation that aims to ensure discussion around alcohol and alcohol abuse “remains balanced”

The Alcohol Information Partnership intends to “bring balance back to the debate” around alcohol

The Alcohol Information Partnership (AIP) aims to remind consumers and the media that irresponsible drinking is on the decline – particularly among the demographic of young people, where there has been a reduction in underage drinking – while long-term harmful drinking is also falling.

The campaign is led by Dave Roberts, former chief executive of the National Clinical Homecare Association and funded by eight major companies that predominantly make spirits: Diageo, Pernod Ricard, Campari, Bacardi, Brown-Forman, Remy Cointreau, Moët Hennessy and Beam Suntory.

It follows the recent publication of chief medical officer guidelines that claim there is “no safe level” of alcohol consumption.

AIP will promote the current partnership approach taken to tackle alcohol misuse through coordinated action between government, industry, local authorities and non-government organisations.

Roberts said: “Alcohol misuse is an incredibly serious issue. As a society, we should continue to have rigorous debate about how best we continue to tackle and reduce alcohol misuse.

“But the debate has become increasingly imbalanced and characterised by poor representation of the evidence. Too often the facts have been dramatised or exaggerated in order to scare people and skew the debate. The reality is that binge drinking is in decline in the UK – particularly among young people – and the vast majority of people enjoy a drink responsibly.

“The AIP is here to bring balance back to the debate and remind the public that having a drink at home or in the pub can still be a part of a balanced lifestyle as long as it is drunk in moderation.”