Rum producers from around the Caribbean region plan to introduce labels that include warnings in order to address concerns about the harmful use of alcohol.
The West Indies Rum & Spirits Producers’ Association (WIRSPA) yesterday said the “major initiative” is the result of a task force that was set up last year to see how best the industry could support the efforts of the regulatory agencies and health sector to encourage responsible drinking as part of a balanced active healthy lifestyle, following the recognition that the harmful use of alcohol is a contributing factor to Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs).
As a result, it announced the plan to introduce “new labels in domestic and regional markets that contain visual guides against drinking and driving, underage consumption and drinking during pregnancy, all areas of concern both for producers and for the health sector.”
The release said that the new labelling will also provide responsible drinking messages and calorie per serving information to “assist consumers in making the right choices about how they drink.”
Guyana, which has a longstanding rum industry, has a serious alcoholism problem, which has fuelled underage drinking, murders, fatal accidents and domestic violence.
WIRSPA said the announcement of the label change was made by Raphael Grisoni, the Managing Director for Mount Gay Distilleries and the Barbados Director for WIRSPA, at a meeting in Barbados this week to discuss how to promote responsible drinking and to reduce the harmful use of alcohol.
In addition to the regional initiative on labelling, the release said that the producers also announced the adoption of a new code of practice for the advertising and marketing of their products.
“This comprehensive revamp of their existing 10-year-old code sees major new guidance on the responsible use of social media channels such as Facebook and Instagram that correspond to international best practice,” the release added.
“We have worked hard over the past year to achieve these commitments, which, while already in place for some companies, will see an across-the-board upgrade in the way we communicate these issues to consumers,” Grisoni was quoted as saying.
He added, “We are also intensifying our collaboration with other producers and distributors of alcoholic beverages and hope these initiatives can be adopted by the entire sector, as this is the only way we will achieve the full impact.”
Chairman of WIRSPA and head of the Guyana conglomerate Demerara Distillers Limited, Komal Samaroo, stated, “As indigenous brands firmly rooted in the communities in which we serve, we have a responsibility to do the best we can in ensuring persons consume our products responsibly. This initiative goes some way towards that.” He added, “As we work to implement these commitments over the next 24 months, we hope that we can continue to work in partnership with our governments to reduce harmful drinking and its impact on society.”
