This month International Press Agency Reuters reported that the market for alcoholic drinks is booming in the Muslim Gulf. Alcohol producers like Heineken and Diageo are trying to generate interest for their products in the Gulf region using sports sponsorship, by targeting the richer denizens and by introducing non-alcohol alternatives. While Islam prohibits the consumption Read More →

In Malawi there was an encouraging political process last year which aimed at banning the sale of liquor in plastic sachets. Now, as a result of a court decision, the process has stalled. Governments and NGOs have their hands tied up by the court injunction, while the strong liquor continues to be sold to minors, Read More →

Today the Western Australian city of Perth hosts a conference on drug and alcohol issues, visited by government ministers from Australia and New Zealand. Mike Daube, director of the Public Health Advocacy Institute and the McCusker Centre for Action on Alcohol and Youth , says he hopes the ministers take a harder look at alcohol Read More →

The World Health Organization (WHO) has published its 2011 Global status report on alcohol and health. Among the notable conclusions of this report is the figure of 2.5 million annual lives that are lost to alcohol abuse worldwide. Further noteworthy news from the report is that alcohol abuse is growing at alarming rates and consumption Read More →

Dutch brewer Heineken has been confirmed as the exclusive ‘lager supplier’ and sponsor of the 2012 Olympic Games in London.   As part of the deal, Heineken will be the branded lager served at the Olympic Games. Heineken UK will have exclusive pouring rights for its portfolio of beer and cider brands at all Olympic Read More →

While policy makers in Australia, the United Kingdom, and New Zealand debate whether alcohol advertising and sponsorship should be banned from sport, new research provides evidence that alcohol industry sponsorship is associated with more hazardous drinking in sportspeople compared to non-alcohol sponsorship. Health scientists from Monash University, the University of Manchester, Deakin University and University Read More →