Jamaica: New push for responsible consumption of alcoholic beverages
By Britty Hutchinson, Observer writer
June 25, 2021
KEY players in the alcohol and beverage industry are making a new push for responsible consumption and selling of alcohol, following the restart of the live entertainment and social activities on July 1.
Prime Minister Andrew Holness announced Tuesday that small events will be permitted with no more than 100 attendees, including organisers and support personnel. Those events include concerts, parties, round robins, festivals, community events, corporate mixers, handing-over or ground-breaking ceremonies.
Additionally, the prime minister said on July 1 the curfew will begin 11:00 pm until 5:00 am from Mondays to Saturdays and 6:00 pm until 5:00 am on Sundays.
Dianne Ashton-Smith, head of corporate affairs at Red Stripe, who was speaking at a function hosted by the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica and the Jamaica Beer, Wines and Spirits Network (JBWSN) on the topic ‘Responsibility First’, explained that there are factors that prevent the successful implementation of measures that are needed to promote moderate, responsible alcohol consumption.
Some of those factors, she said, include ineffective and outdated licensing, a lack of inter-sectoral action and a culture of poor enforcement.
“The only way to achieve the objective of reducing the harmful consumption of alcohol is through inclusive partnerships between government, civil society and companies,” she said.
Ashton-Smith, who is a member of the JBWSN, pointed to copyright and trademark infringements by small event promoters who utilise brand assets, such as logos and images without permission, as a way of mitigating factors for advancing collective action.
“The wine and spirits producers are often impugned for inappropriate communications, which breach our responsible marketing codes. This is oftentimes is used against us and negates the work we collectively do,” she argued.
Ashton-Smith suggested that modernising an outdated licensing regime, greater enforcement of existing alcohol-related legislation and sustaining education programmes and public awareness campaigns about the full range of alcohol-related harm would help to achieve responsible selling and serving of alcohol.
Meanwhile, Jason Russell, general manager at Pier 1 Restaurant, stressed that bar operators should adopt a proactive approach to enable the sustainability of their businesses.
“One of the things we found is that, trying to shovel alcohol over the bar and create a massive blast of enjoyment and atmosphere does not actually work – it is not sustainable,” he said.
Instead, he recommended that bar operators should focus more on their customer base by eliminating irresponsible consumers of alcoholic beverages and improving the brand of their business annually.
“Start to focus on your customer base, start to pay attention to who is doing what, when and how. One of the first things we’ve noticed is that drunk customers turn off sober ones. If you are trying to gain sales on a special night, getting rid of that individual will actually help you,” said Russell.
“Also, focus on expanding your life expectancy. How do you build your brand – what will it become after the first or second year?” he added.