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
Costa Rica – Costa Rica’s Ministry of Health has reported that 20 people have died and an additional 32 have fallen ill after drinking alcohol adulterated with methanol. The government has collected samples of product for analysis from 49 establishments since 05 October 2020, and it has seized over 14,000 drinks from a distributor.
Turkey – At least 78 people have died, mostly in western and southern provinces, from alcohol poisoning since 09 October 2020. Turkish security forces have seized thousands of bottles of illicit alcohol and are holding 473 people in custody.
LABELLING
Demand for cancer warning labels – A number of public health and consumer protection advocates are petitioning the U.S. Treasury Department’s Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) to call for an update to the government health warning on alcohol beverages that includes a cancer warning statement, such as: “WARNING: According to the Surgeon General, consumption of alcoholic beverages can cause cancer, including breast and colon cancers.” The petitioners believe the TTB is obligated to report to Congress that this change in labelling is required based on alleged evidence of alcohol’s link to different forms of cancers.
Health warning regulations in South Africa – South Africa’s Department of Health has announced that the new health warning regulations that were due to come into effect on 21 December 2020 have been repealed as of 26 October 2020 under National Government Notice No 43844. The regulations concerned health messaging on container labels of alcohol beverages. Health warning regulations that are currently in place remain in effect.
U.S. rules on gluten-free spirits – The U.S. Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau has updated its policy to allow producers to label spirits as “gluten-free” even if they are made from grains containing gluten. This update follows three months after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration ruled that beverages which are distilled using gluten-containing grains can be labelled as “gluten-free.” Previously, spirits could only use the gluten-free labelling if they were made from ingredients that did not contain gluten, such as grapes, corn, or potatoes.
DRINK DRIVE
Alcohol testing for scooters – A Swedish company, whose fleet of scooters is arriving in Rome, will be the first operator to introduce an alcohol test activated via an app and capable of detecting results within several seconds. The app will be active between 1 a.m. and 4 a.m. during the weekends. Users will be asked to participate in a game that will test their reflexes. The company has 750 scooters in Milan and operates in over 40 European cities.
“EARMARKS”
Excise duties for healthcare in Bulgaria – Representatives from the public health sector in Bulgaria have reportedly called on relevant committees in Bulgaria’s Parliament to use ten percent of funds received from excise taxes on tobacco products, alcohol beverages, and fuels to prevent and treat diseases related to tobacco use, abuse of alcohol, and the effects of fuels. The group bases this approach on alleged linkages between these products and health concerns.
Surviving California’s wildfires – In light of the devastating wildfires in Napa and Sonoma over the last five years, including this summer’s Glass fire that burned 67,500 acres and destroyed 1,555 structures, this article considers the challenges facing California’s wine industry. Losses compounded by the impact of the pandemic may total close to one billion dollars. The author reports that many winemakers and growers are counting on research, innovation, and sheer determination in their race against the changing climate.