Hysterical media coverage suggesting that exceeding the CMO drinking guidelines can shave years off your life has been met with scorn by academics, statisticians and industry insiders. The BBC, the Guardian, the Independent and many more seized upon an alcohol harm study published in the Lancet by Cambridge University researchers. Drinking an extra glass of wine will shorten your life, roared the Guardian, while the…

Conviviality has reported sales nearly doubled to £1.56bn for the year ending 30 April 2017. Last year the company announced it planned to strengthen its management team and reorganise its activities into three business units: Conviviality Direct, Conviviality Retail and Conviviality Trading. In its latest financial statement it reported underlying sales for each business unit have been strong with good organic growth compared to the…

Conviviality has reported strong half-year results following the major restructure last year, which segmented its business into three separate units. The company saw revenue increase by 211% to £782.5m for the half-year to the end of October 2016. Pre-tax profit came in at £7.4m, compared to a £4m loss in the same period last year. Each of its three business segments saw revenue grow.  The results reflect…

Portsmouth City Council has failed in a bid to outlaw Oranjeboom lager and K cider on grounds they promote irresponsible drinking. The council complained to industry body the Portman Group that the drinks encourage consumers to drink them rapidly or “down in one”. If the Portman Group agreed with the claims, they would have sent out a retailer bulletin advising all stores, large and small,…

Half of middle-aged men in the UK are putting their health at risk by drinking too much, according to a leading alcohol education charity. Research by Drinkaware shows 44% of men aged 45-64 are consuming more than the low risk guidelines of 14 units per week. On average this group consumes 37 units a week, which is two and a half times the guidelines. Within…

The UK government’s chief medical officer, Dame Sally Davies, has urged women to contemplate the risk of developing breast cancer every time they consider having glass of wine. “Do as I do when I reach for my glass of wine,” Davies told the House of Commons science and technology committee yesterday. “Think: ‘Do I want the glass of wine or do I want to raise…

The Responsibility Deal between the drinks industry and the UK government has come under fire from academics pouring scorn on the apparently successful pledge by the industry to strip a billion units from the market. In a pincer movement that amounts to an orchestrated attempt by the public health lobby to discredit the very idea of self-regulation, first the Sheffield Alcohol Research Group and then…