Transcript Is the drinks industry damaging democracy as well as health?

Is the drinks industry damaging democracy
as well as health?
Dr Nick Sheron, FRCP
Royal College of Physicians Representative to the EU Alcohol and Health
Forum
Calling Time on Europe's Alcohol Problem,
European Parliament, Brussels,
24 April 2013
Liver deaths in my unit in Southampton,
most of the increase is alcohol related
Nick Sheron, unpublished data
Changes in liver death rates in Europe
Bulgaria
Finland
Hungary
Romania
UnitedKingdom
Belgium
Croatia
CzechRepublic
Denmark
Germany
Poland
Austria
France
Italy
Portugal
Spain
Greece
Ireland
Netherlands
Norway
Sweden
WHO – HFA data
64% of the variation in EU liver mortality can be explained
by differences in population level consumption of alcohol.
R 2 = 0.64
Linear regression of open source data, WHO-HFA
Brandish & Sheron 2010
Vodka
Beer
ONS data, N Sheron Clinical Medicine 2010
1992
Increasing wealth,
Decreasing relative price
Different retailers
ONS data, decennial supplements 1921-2001, N Sheron
Taxation v Minimum Unit Price (MUP)
Taxation
MUP
Impact on all drinks
Impact only cheapest drinks
Impacts on pubs / bars
No Impact on pubs / bars
Impact proportional to consumption
Impact targeted to heavy drinkers
Taxation v Minimum Unit Price (MUP)
Taxation
MUP
Revenue to government
Revenue to industry
Impact on all drinks
Impact only cheapest drinks
Impacts on pubs / bars
No Impact on pubs / bars
Scotland introduced MUP because they were unable to increase taxation
The Scottish Nationalist Party did so AS A MANIFESTO POLICY COMMITMENT
and subsequently won a landslide election victory
Weekly alcohol consumption in 381 liver patients in Southampton
Median consumption in patients with
alcohol related liver disease is
equivalent of 4 bottles of vodka / week
Half drink more…
The actual impact of MUP on patients with liver disease (n= 143)
Univ of Southampton data, N Sheron
The actual impact of MUP on patients with liver disease (n= 143)
Minimum unit price is an exquisitely targeted measure
Univ of Southampton data, N Sheron
The Pareto principle
1/5 of consumers consume 4/5 of any product
100%
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
Moderate drinkers
Hazardous drinkers
Harmful drinkers
% population
% alcohol
consumed
One third of profitability comes from harmful drinkers
Three quarters of profitability comes from hazardous and harmful drinkers
UK Dept of Health data
100%
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
% population
X
% alcohol
consumed
Moderate drinkers
Hazardous drinkers
Harmful drinkers
Minimum unit price
targeted at heavy consumers who buy
the cheapest alcohols