Dr.’s advice: Use LCBO revenues to fund alcohol harm reduction programs in Ontario

Well it’s been another banner year for alcohol sales in Ontario, which totalled 4.9 billion dollars in net sales for 2012-2013.  On Monday the Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO) announced that they were able to turn over a dividend of 1.7 billion dollars to the Ontario government, not including taxes.  There is no doubt that this money is an important source of revenue for the province.  In their news release the LCBO claims that these revenues help pay for health care, education, infrastructure and other important priorities. 

The biggest issue is that very little of this money goes back into alcohol prevention and harm reduction programs.  While some of the money is targeted at health care, it is not public health or health promotion they are referring to, but rather the illness care system.

The Ontario Medical Association’s (OMA) recent policy paper recommends that some of the LCBO dividends be used for alcohol prevention programs.  In a news item this week, OMA President Dr. Scott Wooder states:

“(I’ve) seen alcohol affect people’s lives in a list of ways, from losing their jobs and families because of heavy drinking, to affecting their health” and “there should be alcohol harm reduction programs targeted to both adults and youth”

As highlighted in a previous post on the revenues vs. costs of alcohol in Ontario, the costs clearly outweigh the revenues.  So while 1.7 billion dollars is good news for the government, perhaps it’s time we looked at the other side of the story? 

Is there something you should know before having that drink?

(Image: Flickr / michaelnugent)

While specific mandatory labeling of standard drink sizes and the health effects of alcohol would certainly be a welcome addition on alcohol packaging in Canada...the motivation behind a recent U.S. announcement regarding nutrition labels on alcohol is questionable. 

The Alcohol & Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau recently released voluntary guidelines for the use of Nutrition Serving Facts statements on both labels and in product advertisements.

Given the guidelines are voluntary there are many in the industry who will choose not to use nutrition labels.  For others this will serve as another marketing tool to promote lower calorie wines or ready mixed drinks / coolers to their biggest growing consumer group – women.  

What do health experts say?

1)     Michael Jacobson from the Centre for Science in the Public Interest had the following to say about the recent ruling in a CBC News report:

“It doesn’t reflect any concern for public health” and “Including fat and carbohydrates on a label could imply that an alcoholic beverage is positively healthful, especially when the drink's alcohol content isn't prominently labeled.”

2)     In a review of alcohol labeling policy worldwide, the authors concluded that

“Current evidence seems to support prompt inclusion of a list of ingredients, nutritional information (usually only kcal) and health warnings on labels. Standard drink and serving size is useful only when combined with other health education efforts. A definition of ‘moderate intake’ and recommended drinking guidelines are best suited to other contexts.”

3)     Gerald Thomas states in an article on teen girls and drinking in the Toronto Star, that

“Alcohol is one of the only, if not the only product for sale in Canada that can kill you, without a warning (label).”

4)     Michael Perley, long-standing anti-tobacco advocate with the Ontario Council for Action on Tobacco advised at the 2012 Alcohol Policy Forum, that health warning labels would be a good first step in moving things forward.  At this point in time, many individuals are not aware of the myriad health effects related to the consumption of alcohol. 

So far in Canada, we don’t have similar guidelines for alcohol labeling, nutrition or otherwise.  But more than 75% of all respondents in the local 2012 Alcohol Public Opinion survey agreed that there should be health warning labels on alcohol products.  What do you think?  Should alcohol products be labeled?  Should the label include health warnings?  Visit us on facebook and have your say.

Targeting Women with Ready to Drink Cocktails

Just in time for summer, the LCBO is promoting a wide range of ready mixed cocktails on billboards across the City of Kingston, including Palm Bay Sophisticated Vodka Cooler and Seagrams Classic Lemonade.  If you go online to LCBOreadytodrink.com you can see all the ready to drink products the LCBO has on offer including Skinnygirl Margarita and Bacardi Breezer 100 Calorie Orange Smoothie.  Did you know that Skinnygirl Margarita now comes in a convenient SKINNYMINI single serving size?  

"Refreshingly light and low-cal, this margarita delivers crisp, tangy flavours of lemon, lime and subtle tequila." - LCBO website

 

The alcohol industry is marketing these products to women like never before.  While many people may say “so what?”, the rising trend in risky drinking among women has those of us working in public health wondering how we can stem the onslaught of this targeted promotion.  Check out this CBC Radio podcast on The Rise of Binge Drinking in Women for some in depth coverage of this not so well known issue.