Managing interactions with alcohol industry stakeholders; August 2024
Increasing attention has been given to the role corporations play in shaping public health policy,
with the commercial determinants of health a rapidly evolving field of study.
The World Health Organization (WHO) states:
A clear conflict of interest exists between the economic objectives of these companies and
public health goals that seek to reduce consumption of harmful products. This conflict of interest
between the alcohol industry and public health is clearly demonstrated by research estimates
that, if all drinkers in England reduced their alcohol consumption to within the recommended
low-risk guidelines, alcohol sales revenue could decline by 38%.3
Activities of the alcohol industry have been identified as a major barrier to public policy progress
in reducing alcohol harm. International evidence demonstrates alcohol industry actors are highly
strategic, rhetorically sophisticated, and well organised in influencing national policymaking to
further their commercial interests.4
Whilst the UK government has adopted detailed measures to protect public policy from tobacco
industry interference,5
no current guidance exists to inform the management and prevention of
conflict of interest in interactions with alcohol industry actors. Previous Public Health England
(PHE) ‘Principles for engaging with industry stakeholders’ acknowledged that unhealthy commodity industries, including alcohol, can use both subtle and “aggressive tactics to disrupt and
undermine positive actions from public health policy and initiatives”.6
PHE developed recommendations to ensure that where public health agencies engage with these stakeholders, they
should do so cautiously and within a well-defined framework that protects the public’s interest
and health. Following the transition to the Office of Health Improvement and Disparities, it is
unclear whether these principles are being applied, with alcohol industry bodies currently occupying prominent roles in health policy.