FOR YOUR INFORMATION
We share below a number of recent developments. As always, we rely on FIVS Members to apprise us of noteworthy matters. Please contact the FIVS Secretariat with items that may be of interest.
ILLICIT ALCOHOL
Armenia – Armenia’s Food Safety Inspector reported that 14 individuals died after consuming illicit vodka with methyl alcohol levels many times higher than the government allows. The government urged people not to drink alcohol beverages of unknown origins.
Kenya – Licenses for importing and exporting alcohol beverages reportedly will now be issued by Kenya’s National Authority for the Campaign Against Alcohol and Drug Abuse. This measure was introduced to protect Kenya’s market from illicit alcohol by requiring more details regarding manufacturing and brand origins.
LABELLING
Gluten-free labels – On 12 August 2020, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a final ruling defining “gluten-free” for labelling on foods, including FDA-regulated beer and wine.
The Distilled Spirits Council of the United States is now urging the U.S. Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau to align its polices with those of the FDA, permitting all distilled spirits to be labeled as “gluten-free.” The National Celiac Association has reportedly stated that all distilled spirits, including those made from gluten-containing grains, should be considered safe for people with celiac disease and gluten intolerance.
ONLINE
Russia – Russia’s Ministry of Internal Affairs reportedly may block legislation drafted by the Ministry of Finance allowing the sale of alcohol beverages online, arguing that online sales might lead to increased crime and a heightened risk of selling alcohol to minors.
DRINK DRIVE
South Africa – South Africa’s Transport Minister has reportedly said his department may attempt to amend current drink-driving guidelines to include blood-alcohol figures “as close to zero percent as possible.” The tourism industry has expressed concern about job losses at restaurants, hotels, and clubs that would likely follow from those proposed guidelines.
REPORTS
Drinking & male fertility – New analysis of two ongoing studies of fertility and health in Danish and American couples attempting to conceive, published in Human Reproduction Journal, found that the amount of alcohol consumed by men attempting to conceive may not play a factor in their reproductive success.
NCD Alliance report criticising alcohol industry – The NCD Alliance, the Global Alcohol Policy Alliance, FORUT, the Healthy Caribbean Coalition, and the Healthy Latin American Coalition have published a report on the implications that the alcohol industry’s commercial and political activities hold for public health in Latin America and the Caribbean. The report – which reportedly mentions specific companies and trade associations, including FIVS, as well as including industry documents, annual reports, and transcripts of business calls and meetings – lists a number of recommendations such as suggesting that national governments should cease engaging with the alcohol beverage trade. The report also charges the sector with promoting ineffective policies, while opposing effective ones.
U.S. dietary guidelines – Following up on recent FIVS alerts regarding recommendations that the U.S. government should lower its official dietary guidelines for men from no more than two drinks per day to no more than one drink per day – this article argues that this proposal is based on dogma and bad science, giving credence to evidence of harm while portraying evidence of protective effects as speculative. You may also want to read this piece that discusses the unintended consequences of this new recommendation.