Australia’s leading medical body is again calling on the government to ban current advertising practises, which it says are encouraging children to try alcohol.
The Australian Medical Association (AMA) says marketing of alcohol flavoured chips, biscuits, lip gloss and chocolates is contributing to the binge drinking culture.
A report by the AMA exposed the tactics being used in the industry to promote alcohol to children, including online, where alcohol branding is used during games played by youngsters, promoted on Facebook pages and contained in secret online party invitations.
The report will be officially released at a conference today in Canberra, and the AMA is calling for new laws to be introduced to stop the practise.
As well as being promoted online, mobile phone apps sponsored by alcohol companies that provide cocktail recipes and use satellite technology to recommend bars and clubs nearby are at the top of AMA’s list of concerns.
It also says in the report that the food industry shares some of the blame, by helping children develop a taste for alcohol through Malibu flavoured chocolate, vodka flavoured lip gloss, Tim Tams flavoured with Tia Maria and Jim Beam flavoured crisps.
"By flavouring sweet or salty foods that are popular with children, alcohol companies such as Jim Beam are introducing young consumers to their brand at an early age, encouraging them to develop familiarity with, and loyalty to, their product,'' it says.
The AMA is gravely concerned that in the midst of the current issues Australia is facing with binge drinking and alcohol-related violence, alcohol and food companies are attempting to “normalise” it.
"It's sending a subliminal message that everyone drinks…. your first drink could be a Tim Tam," Australian Medical Association president Dr Steve Hambleton said.
While the Tia Maria flavoured Tim Tams were a limited edition that ended in 2004, and the amount of alcohol contained was miniscule, the AMA is concerned that nothing is stopping Arnott’s, or any other company, from introducing similar concepts.
The report also mentioned some more frightening statistics about youth drinking, following on from various other findings over the last couple of years.
By their 15th birthday, about 90 percent of people have tried alcohol and five Australians aged between 15 and 24 die each week from alcohol related injury, while 200 more are hospitalised.
"Young people are starting to drink at an earlier age, and most drink in ways that put their health at risk,'' the report states.
In July, and report released by Victoria's Auditor-General, Dr Peter Frost, found the number of alcohol-related assaults in Victoria have risen rose by almost since 2001, while the number of ambulance attendances to deal with incidents related to alcohol more than tripled.
In May, an Australia-wide study found that people living in rural areas are more likely to consume alcohol and be overweight and obese, while another revealed almost 80 per cent of Australians think that, as a nation, we have a problem with alcohol.
Following government are attempts to crack down on alcohol-related violence by introducing earlier lock outs at pubs and clubs and raising the price of alcohol, the AMA says self regulation by the alcohol industry on its advertising is no longer appropriate.
Similarly to the Australian Food and Grocery Council’s (AFGC) Responsible Marketing to Children Initiative (RMCI), which suggests to food companies that it should not market unhealthy foods to children, the current regulation in the alcohol industry is voluntary.
The Alcohol Beverages Advertising Code, administered by the alcohol companies themselves, states that companies should not encourage underage drinking, but they have no power to enforce it.
The AMA wants those rules changed so that governments will be able to introduce laws to regulate alcohol advertising, and enforce penalties if they breach them.
It also wants alcohol sponsorship phased out of sport, and alcohol sponsorship of youth music and cultural events banned.
What do you think of the AMA's calls for tougher rules on alcohol advertising?