A report developed in collaboration with alcohol policy and public health experts provides guidance to the new government on identifying, managing, and protecting against conflicts of interest associated with alcohol industry involvement in public health policy.
The guidance was published in an article in The Guardian, which urges ministers to exclude the alcohol industry from helping to draw up plans to reduce drink-related harm because of its past “interference” with such initiatives.
The guiding principles – which are intended to enhance governance by providing a guide to inform consideration and management of any interactions with industry actors – state that government should:
- Acknowledge the essential conflict of interest between alcohol industry economic objectives and public health goals, in accordance with WHO recommendations.
- Establish good governance processes that promote transparency and protect health-focused policymaking from alcohol industry interference.
- Minimise interactions with industry and restrict those that occur to information exchange to support policy implementation.
- Reject partnerships with alcohol industry bodies.
Dr Katherine Severi, Chief Executive of the Institute of Alcohol Studies, said:
Just like tobacco companies, alcohol companies have a long history of disrupting and delaying health policy, which is why the World Health Organization advises governments to protect against undue influence from the alcohol industry.
Alcohol companies, trade bodies and industry-funded front groups should be treated in a similar way to the tobacco industry, with all interactions a matter of public record and discussions limited to implementation of policies that have been developed in the public interest.
Co-author Jeff Collin, Professor of Global Health Policy at the University of Edinburgh, said:
The tobacco experience clearly demonstrates that taking conflict of interest seriously is a pre-requisite for tackling the impacts of health harming industries. Nobody seriously argues that the tobacco industry should be involved in developing policies to reduce smoking, and it’s no more credible to suggest that alcohol producers would contribute positively to policies to reduce the health and social impacts of their products. Good health governance requires measures to minimise industry interference in policy-making; there shouldn’t be a place at the table for the alcohol industry.
The report also includes a section on ‘putting the principles into practice’ which include practical examples of how to operationalise the principles of good governance, for instance:
The purpose, objectives, and scope of the meeting and how it will contribute to public health objectives should be determined in advance by the government/health agency.
Liver doctor and Chair of the Alcohol Health Alliance Professor Sir Ian Gilmore told The Guardian:
Over 10,000 people a year in the UK die due to alcohol-related causes. Yet the industry that profits from these products is given a say in how they are regulated, priced, marketed, and made available. The fox should not be in charge of the henhouse.