In the field of health policy, much attention has been paid to attempts by Transnational Tobacco Corporations (TTCs) to stymie regulation of their industry (Holden and Lee 2009). Relatively little research has been conducted on alcohol industry actors and their attempts to influence policies to reduce alcohol related harm. This is surprising given the rising burden of disease in many countries associated with harmful and hazardous levels of alcohol consumption. In the UK, increasing levels of alcohol consumption – and the associated harms – over recent decades have coincided with the increased availability and affordability of alcohol. There has been a trend away from consuming alcohol in licensed premises towards the purchase of cheaper alcohol from the off-sales sector for consumption at home (Foster and Ferguson 2012). In particular, significant volumes of alcohol are now sold through the ‘big four’ supermarkets, which wield significant political power (Seth and Randall 1999). On the production side, the UK alcohol market has become increasingly dominated by a small number of large, multi-national corporations (Jernigan 2009).
Alcohol policy under New Labour followed an agenda closely aligned with that advocated by alcohol industry actors (Cabinet Office 2004; Department of Health 2007). Policies targeted interventions on those sections of the public seen to be at greatest risk of harm, placing education, public information, health and treatment services, crime and disorder at the centre of the strategy. Particular emphasis was given to the role of the alcohol industry as a key partner in achieving policy goals through a system of voluntary self-regulation (see Portman Group 1996; Advertising Standards Agency et al. 2005).The thrust of this policy stands in stark contrast to the policy prescriptions advocated by public health researchers and campaigners , who favoured ‘whole population’ measures to restrict the availability and price of alcohol, which were supported by a significant evidence base (Babor et al. 2010).
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