Senior Research Fellow at Menzies School of Health Research, and a member of the FASD Hub Advisory Group Dr Cassandra Wright outlines the need for close scrutiny of this harmful industry and curtail their influence on public health policy.
The research examined the submissions made by alcohol companies and lobbyists into Australia’s National Alcohol Strategy, which was released in 2019 after four years of consultation.
We used alcohol submissions into the National Alcohol Strategy as a case study, because it’s such an important policy document that sets the agenda in alcohol policy for a decade, explained Dr Wright.
As part of the drafting process, twelve submissions were made by alcohol industry actors, including producers, retailers, and industry-funded social organisations.
The study uncovered five common and incorrect claims across these submissions.
Claim by alcohol industry
Fact
According to the study, the alcohol industry commonly attempts to position themselves as legitimate stakeholders in alcohol policy debates by mimicking scientific critique.
However, these companies then use a wide range of non-scientific methods to cast doubt on the effectiveness of public health policies.
We found that submissions from alcohol companies and lobby groups consistently promoted non-evidence based and ineffective policy measures, and that they downplayed the social and health harms of alcohol. The research also showed that the industry deliberately misquoted, manipulated, misused, and ignored evidence throughout their submissions.
– Dr Cassandra Wright
Common tactics to watch out for include:
These tactics are borrowed from the tobacco industry. And like the tobacco industry, tighter regulation of the alcohol industry is needed, the researchers suggest.
Alcohol companies distort the science around alcohol and policy to try and influence policies in ways that protect their profits, and this really muddies the water for governments who are trying to make decisions that are in the best interests of the community. I think it begs the question whether alcohol companies should have a seat at the table in these policy processes.
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