Alex Bellos
THE makers of a new “alcopop” have defended their decision to put half-a-million bottles in British shops and bars, despite protests that the labelling would encourage underage drinking.
Carlsberg-Tetley ignored demands to withdraw the first batch of Thickhead — 4,9% proof, tangerine-flavoured and with the consistency of hair gel — although it said it would change the label in the future.
The Portman Group, the drinks industry’s voluntary regulator, said the image on the bottle of a man pulling a face contravened its code of practice because he could be under 18. It also said the word “alcoholic” was not prominent enough.
Tom Wright, Carlsberg-Tetley development director, said these were minor criticisms as private research had shown that 97% of people thought the drink was marketed to adults.
He said: “The changes the Portman Group want are relatively small. The guy in the photograph is 30. We will make his expression flatter, or might give him some stubble or take some hair away.
“Firstly, the code is voluntary. Secondly, it is not a vetting procedure, it is there to respond to people’s complaints. We have pre-empted that to go to the group to get the label checked. We have acted totally responsibly.”
Concern about teenage drinking has been highlighted by the popularity of fruit-flavoured alcoholic drinks or “alcopops”. Since they were first marketed last year they have become the fastest growing sector of the alcohol market, with more than 2% of off-licence trade.
Nigel Griffiths, Labour’s consumer affairs representative, accused Carlsberg-Tetley of astonishing arrogance in ignoring the Portman Group’s recommendations. “We have got to stop young people’s drinking reaching epidemic levels in some parts of the country. We are clearly getting no support from some of the big players in the business,” he said.
“This is the last chance the industry has to regulate itself. They are making parliamentary action inevitable.”
Alcohol advisory groups called for an independent inquiry into alcopops and for Thickhead to be taken off the shelves until the label is changed. Mark Bennett of Alcohol Concern said: “Products like this, which are more clearly based on childish culture than any of the other alcopops, are going to appeal to children. It should be withdrawn immediately.”
He said the brewery’s failure to contact the Portman Group before Friday was a clear sign that self-regulation was not working.
“If one of the Portman Group’s own members cannot get the label right it doesn’t bode well for the brave new future of self-regulation,” he said.