A drinks industry insider has acknowledged one of the key concerns raised in recent years by Thames Reach campaigners – that there is no justification for selling super-strength beer. In an article published in the Big Issue magazine earlier this month, the anonymous source revealed that many people working for breweries were embarrassed at the production and marketing of drinks such as Carlsberg Special Brew.
The source said: “There is no place for super-strength lagers and, privately, that’s what a lot of people in the industry and also within the breweries are saying.
As it is, the brewers are making money out of other people’s misery, but for as long as there is money to be made there’s no will to take it off the shelves.”
The Portman Group, the self regulated drinks industry watchdog, has backed the sale of super-strength lager in half litre cans, despite a complaint from Thames Reach.
Of the four 9% lagers that were the subject of the Thames Reach complaint, three – Carlsberg Special Brew, Tennent’s Super and Skol Super – were deemed not to be in breach of the Portman Group’s Code of Practice on packaging and promoting alcohol. Thames Reach argued that producing super-strength lager in 500ml cans encouraged immoderate consumption, binge drinking and drunkenness.
However, Kestrel Super was found to be in breach of the Portman Group complaint as the strength of the lager was the dominant theme in its branding. New labelling is expected in the autumn.
Inbev, manufacturer of market leader Tennent’s Super, has responded to the Thames Reach super-strength campaign and reduced the size of their cans to 440ml so they no longer contain four and a half units of alcohol in a single can.
Jeremy Swain, Thames Reach Chief Executive, said: “In an ideal world we would like to see this harmful product banned. But InBev UK has to be applauded by putting people before profit, by taking the lead and reducing the can size. I would urge Carlsberg, so far depressingly impervious to our campaign, to respond to this brave step by reducing the can size of Special Brew and Skol Super at the earliest opportunity.”
Meanwhile, the Sunday Mirror joined the campaign against super strength lager, earlier this month. In its editorial, it castigated the drinks industry and supermarkets and called on the Government to act.
“The real villains are the drinks firms and supermarkets who peddle super-strength alcohol to young people.
“If the drinks industry and supermarkets continue to flout their responsibilities, particularly to youngsters, the Government must crack down on them hard.”
The Sunday Mirror also highlighted the dangers of a super-strength lager – Crest Super – which at 10 per cent in strength and with five units of alcohol contains nearly twice the recommended limit of alcohol.
In an article headlined ‘Stupor Strength’, Dr Sarah Jarvis of the Royal College of GPs, argued that: “The short and long term damage of these drinks is horrendous.”
In another victory for the Thames Reach campaign, Wells and Young who make the Crest Super drink, will take the product off the shelves of UK retailers from later this year and it will only be sold abroad.
More on the super-strength campaign
