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The World Health Organisation (WHO) - Europe Region has adopted a resolution that has the goal of a ten per cent reduction in per capita consumption of alcohol. Accompanying steps include higher taxation, a ban on advertising, promotion and marketing in any form, a reduction in the availability of alcoholic beverages and mandatory health warnings on labels. Furthermore, representatives of the sector are to be excluded from the debate.
The WHO accuses the alcohol industry of "extreme aggressiveness in promoting the various aspects of alcohol consumption", especially among young people. Alcohol is involved in "a quarter of all deaths of people aged 20-24 years in the WHO European Region, mostly due to injury and violence," it said. Every day in the European Region, about 2500 people die as a result of alcohol consumption."
In a statement, the Italian trade association Unione Italiana Vini (UIV) resists a blanket condemnation of the entire industry. There would be no distinction between compulsive and moderate consumption and between the different types of drinks. The resolution contradicts "the approach of prevention and education policies promoted by our sector, as well as the models of moderate consumption prevalent in Italy." As history has taught, "prohibition is not the solution to fight the scourge of alcoholism." Wine is rather "A symbol of responsible drinking, of the Mediterranean diet and certainly not of binge drinking". Therefore, the UIV appeals to politicians to protect "a millennia-old culture and the social fabric associated with it".
(al / Source: Winenews.it, WHO.int; Photo: 123rf)
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