A recent article written by the head of the World Brewing Alliance has drawn the ire of Diageo’s head of corporate relations.
In a comment article hosted by World Finance magazine this week, Justin Kissinger (below), who has been the CEO of the international beer trade association since mid-2021, argued that “for consumers seeking a lower- or no-alcohol drink, beer is the obvious choice”. He went on to position beer as a substitute for “high-alcohol beverages, like hard liquor”.
“A comprehensive study on the impact of alcohol policies in Russia by WHO Europe found [that] policies shifting consumption away from high-strength alcohol beverages towards lower-alcohol beverages were associated with improving multiple public health indicators,” Kissinger added.
“We are calling for policymakers around the world to regulate alcohol according to beverage type and strength, which would encourage the production and consumption of lower alcohol-strength products like beer.”
In a LinkedIn post promoting the article, the WBA claimed: “Substituting high-alcohol beverages with lower- and no-alcohol options is a time-tested, evidence-based way to improve public health outcomes.”
Responding to the article and post, however, Diageo’s corporate relations director – and executive committee member – Dan Mobley (below), attacked Kissinger’s position.
“Disappointing but not surprising to see a beer lobbyist peddling such anti-scientific nonsense,” Mobley wrote, also on LinkedIn. “Alcohol is alcohol and should be regulated the same, whether beer, wine or a cocktail, to protect consumers.”
Mobley added that beer sales are permitted “to children” in markets including Belgium, Denmark and Germany, “due to “regulating alcohol according to beverage type”, as the WBA promotes”.
“They should join with responsible beer producers like Diageo in calling for the minimum legal purchase/drinking age to be equalised to 18 across Europe for all types of alcohol, including beer, to prevent harm and further drive down underage drinking,” he added.
Based in Washington DC, the World Brewing Alliance claims to have a membership that “includes national and regional trade associations as well as the largest brewers in the world”. While AB InBev, Carlsberg, Heineken and Molson Coors Beverage Co lead its roll call of members, Diageo is not a part of the organisation.
