In Packaging News this week the director of the Consumer Packaging Manufacturing Alliance (CPMA) has voiced his concerns in respect of Public Health England’s report recommending plain packaging for alcoholic drinks.
Public Health England has called on the Government to impose tobacco-style regulations on alcohol and hike the costs with minimum unit pricing (MUP). The report from the health body said that there was very strong evidence which support “a range of policies” in order to curb harmful drinking, including plain packaging and tobacco-style health warnings.
The report’s authors have also proposed combining higher taxes with minimum unit pricing (MUP), as well as reducing the number of licensed premises in England, which is much to the disdain of The British Beer & Pub Association who state that one of the nation’s most iconic and important industries and a vital cultural icon unique to Britain which supports a million jobs and the economy to the tune of £21.4 billion is at increasingly at risk.
In a statement Public Health England said: “Reducing the affordability of alcohol is the cost effective way of reducing alcohol harm.”
Ridgway, who has been raising concerns about plain packaging in other market sectors following the tobacco ruling, concluded, “The packaging industry really needs to wake up to this threat to their businesses.”
