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US alcohol report ‘rife with bias’
By Nicola CarruthersA coalition of US beverage and hospitality trade bodies have slammed a new report on alcohol’s impact on mortality for being “rife with bias and conflicts of interest”.

The Alcohol Intake and Health report from the US government’s Interagency Coordinating Committee on the Prevention of Underage Drinking (ICCPUD) explored alcohol’s impact on morbidity and mortality.
The findings suggest the risk of dying from alcohol use begins at low levels of average use, and the risk of alcohol-related mortality increases progressively with higher levels of consumption.
The report noted a one in 1,000 risk of dying from alcohol use if adults consumed more than seven drinks per week, rising to one in 100 if more than nine drinks in a week were consumed.
However, the report has prompted criticism from a large number of alcohol and agriculture trade associations, which have formed a coalition to urge members of Congress to disregard the findings.
The group includes the American Craft Spirits Association, American Distilling Institute, Distilled Spirits Council of the US (Discus), United States Bartenders’ Guild and the Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America.
In a joint statement, the coalition said the report was the “product of a flawed, opaque and unprecedented process, rife with bias and conflicts of interest”.
It also claimed that several people that sit on the six-member ICCPUD panel have “affiliations with international anti-alcohol advocacy groups, and the panel has worked closely with others connected with these advocates”.
The statement continued: “Congress never authorised or appropriated money for the panel or its work, and numerous letters from Congress and industry have voiced serious concerns over the process.”
‘Science over bias’
According to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) 2020-2025, adults of legal drinking age should limit their alcohol intake to two drinks at most in a day for men, while women are recommended to have a maximum of one drink. The DGA is updated every five years.
“We are committed to science over bias,” the coalition added. “This report heightens our concerns that the Dietary Guidelines for Americans’ recommendations with respect to alcohol will not be based on a preponderance of sound scientific evidence.
“We urge the secretaries of agriculture and Health and Human Services to uphold the integrity of the DGAs to promote informed and responsible decision-making around alcohol.
“The agencies should disregard the ICCPUD report in their final assessments for the 2025-2030 dietary guidelines.”
Earlier this month, the US surgeon general called for cancer warnings on alcohol labels, but Discus believes the report fails to review broader health outcomes.
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