‘Objective Zero’: EU spirits sector tackles underage drinking

By Ben BOUCKLEY

- Last updated on GMT

spiritsEUROPE has a two-pronged approach to underage drinking and young adults drinking (Photo, Tim RT/Flickr)
spiritsEUROPE has a two-pronged approach to underage drinking and young adults drinking (Photo, Tim RT/Flickr)

Related tags Drinking culture

The EU spirits industry has highlighted its commitment to fighting underage drinking and promoting moderate consumption for young adults, after a Brussels workshop last Friday.

The session was held to discuss ways of curbing underage and binge drinking, as part of spiritsEUROPE’s commitment to the EU’s strategy of reducing alcohol related harm.

Public and private-sector stakeholders attended, and the workshops examine campaigns with two objectives – ‘objective zero’ for minors and ‘objective moderation’ for young adults.

Paul Skehan, Director General of spiritsEUROPE, said: “These campaigns show how the sector works with a wide range of partners, from medical professionals to the retail and hospitality sectors and in direct contact with consumers to reach our objectives.”

‘Children, Not a Single Drop!’

spiritsEUROPE said an innovative campaign to protect minors included the Spanish initiative, which you can view below, ‘Children, Not a Single Drop’ aimed at making underage drinking socially unacceptable.

In the UK, the Community Alcohol Partnership presented by the UK underlines the importance of a localized partnership approach to reducing anti-social behavior. 

A third example is a Dutch campaign focused on raising awareness of the new legal purchasing age for all alcohol through the ‘Not 18, No Alcohol’ campaign.

“The message for young adults is different.  Binge drinking is a major concern in several countries - and moderation is key,”​ spiritsEUROPE said, pointing to an ERASMUS student-directed campaign across Europe called Responsible Party.

“And as part of a long-term commitment to stop social permission for excessive drinking, Irish consumers are invited to ‘re-think their drinking’,” ​spiritsEUROPE added.

This last via the new campaign: ‘The Best Pace to Drink is Your Own’.

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