Tag: alcohol

New Alliance To Promote Responsible Drinking

A new alliance is being formed to promote responsible drinking and raise standards in the nightlife sector, marking the first industry-wide effort to do so.

Helmed by operators and alcohol suppliers, it aims to train bar staff on how to spot and handle inebriated customers, for instance, and even how to react during a terror attack.

The Singapore Nightlife Business Association (SNBA), which represents 445 operators, and the European Chamber of Commerce’s (EuroCham) wine, spirits and beer committee here – composed of nine alcohol brands that make up the lion’s share of the local market – are joining forces, they revealed to The Straits Times.

A memorandum of understanding (MOU) is being finalised to form the Singapore Alliance for Responsible Drinking (Sard).

Also on the cards is a public engagement effort on responsible consumption and possibly an accreditation scheme to promote minimum standards for operators.

While both parties have previously worked together on ad hoc initiatives, they decided to pool their resources this time for a larger impact, said Mr Davide Besana, vice-chairman of EuroCham’s wine, spirits and beer committee. He is the Asia-Pacific corporate affairs manager for Edrington, which makes Scottish whiskies such as The Macallan and Highland Park.

Edrington, together with other brands on the committee – Bacardi, Diageo, Moet Hennessy Diageo, Pernod Ricard, William Grant and Sons, Remy Cointreau, Carlsberg and Asia Pacific Breweries – make up an estimated 80 per cent of the alcohol market here.

The alliance will also provide a collective voice for the industry in its regular engagement with the authorities, such as over the proposed amendments to the Public Entertainments and Meetings Act introduced in Parliament earlier this month.

Among the proposals are a “lighter touch” and licences with longer validity periods for law-abiding licensees, but stiffer penalties for errant operators.

SNBA president and nightlife veteran Dennis Foo said that the Ministry of Home Affairs has been more proactive in seeking industry input in recent years. “We are very supportive of (the Amendment Bill) – it recognises that proper operators should not be treated the same as bad ones,” he said.

The MOU to form the alliance will be signed within the next few months, and discussions have already begun on possible initiatives, said EuroCham executive director Lina Baechtiger.

Among these is the introduction of a voluntary accreditation scheme to raise standards in the industry by rewarding responsible operators, such as the Best Bar None scheme adopted in Britain.

The alliance is also looking to expand a programme to train bar staff to identify, intervene and prevent potential alcohol-related problems among customers.

Sard’s formation is timely as the definition and scope of nightlife has evolved, said Timbre Group’s managing director Edward Chia, who is vice-president of SNBA.

The lines between bars, clubs and restaurants have blurred, while a decentralisation of nightlife entertainment is expected to take place over the next decade as neighbourhood establishments continue to sprout, Mr Chia added.

Mr Foo, who is the chairman of CityBar Holdings, said: “There are a lot more restaurant-bars now, and a lot of young professionals joining the industry.”

The increasing threat of terrorism and overseas attacks on public entertainment establishments also present fresh challenges.

“We need to train our people to know what to do if something happens,” said Mr Chia, adding that the only way to do this is with an industry-wide move.

Mr Eugene Fung, owner of The Mad Men Attic Bar near Boat Quay, said that leveraging on the overseas experience of alcohol brands would be useful for the adoption of best practices here.

“Having a common voice will also help in our engagement with the authorities so we know better what we are doing wrong or right,” he said.

Rilek1Corner

Source: http://www.straitstimes.com

April 17, 2017
Pakistan Has A Drinking Problem

Pakistan was recently mesmerized by a bottle of Scotch whisky. On Oct. 30, as hundreds of supporters of the opposition party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (P.T.I.) were making their way to the capital Islamabad, with the declared intent of shutting down the city, the police searched the car of a P.T.I. politician and discovered a bottle of Johnny Walker Double Black.

Most Pakistanis had not seen a bottle of whisky in the news in a long time. Although there’s no ban on showing alcohol in the media, the subject rarely comes up in TV news. But this one bottle of whisky, waved around by a policeman, was broadcast on a loop. It became an emblem of the opposition’s immorality.

The politician claimed it contained honey. Yet later that evening, on a current affairs TV show, he put a sobering question to the other guests, “Which one of you doesn’t drink?” Complete silence.

If they said yes, they’d be implicating themselves. If they said no, nobody would believe them. For Muslims in Pakistan, drinking alcohol is prohibited and talking about it is taboo. Drinking and denying it is the oldest cocktail in the country.

It wasn’t always like this. The country was founded in 1947 by Mohammed Ali Jinnah, who was known to indulge in the occasional drink. Alcohol shops and bars were banned in 1977 by Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, a person who had publicly proclaimed, “Yes, I do drink alcohol, but at least I don’t drink the blood of the poor.”

That year, facing protests over an allegedly rigged election that his party had won, Mr. Bhutto decided to declare prohibition. He probably believed that he and his comrades would continue to enjoy their Scotch in private. He was hanged two years later.

Since those days, Pakistan’s rich have continued to enjoy their liquor at home and members’ clubs, but the less privileged have been persecuted and flogged, and are at risk of being imprisoned, for possessing and consuming alcohol.

It’s true that most people in Pakistan don’t drink because they are Muslim. But many more don’t drink because they are Muslim and poor. Nobody abstains from drinking because it’s prohibited by law.

When alcohol was banned by Mr. Bhutto, an exception was made for non-Muslims. They would be issued licenses and allotted a quota. Non-Muslim visiting foreigners would be able to order a drink in their hotel rooms, but the hotels would make them fill out a form saying they needed the alcohol for medicinal purposes.

In the province of Sindh, where I live, licensed shops, usually called wine stores, have operated even since prohibition. The stores are supposed to sell only to non-Muslims, but they don’t discriminate. Owners have to pay off the police, though, and any dispute can result in the shops having to close down.

The laws can be cruel and absurd. Last summer, the local police in Karachi banned liquor stores from keeping freezers, in order to stop consumers from buying a cold beer. Apparently chilled beer was a threat to our faith and to peace, but warm beer was just warm beer.

In late October, a High Court judge ordered the closure of all these stores after accepting a petition that said alcohol is prohibited not only in Islam but in Christianity and Hinduism, too. This ban means that only those who can afford imported liquor will keep buying from a flourishing network of bootleggers.

Others will have to buy one of the many versions of moonshine brewed all over the country, which routinely blind and kill consumers. Two years ago, when liquor stores were shut in Sindh over the Eid holiday, more than 25 people died after drinking home-brew. Survivors report that if the stuff doesn’t kill you or blind you, it isn’t that bad.

Members of Parliament and law enforcers and industrialists and bureaucrats and young professionals and even some religious scholars can drink with impunity. A taxi driver trying to score a beer on the go risks a jail term or losing his eyesight to moonshine.

It’s a law-and-order issue, you see. The rich drink in their own homes and frolic or puke on their own lawns, but the assumption is that if the poor get drunk in public spaces, they’ll make a nuisance. Which is why those who can afford fine scotches can also afford to give everyone else lectures about our religious duties. It seems that those who suck the blood of poor people want to make sure it’s not tainted with cheap alcohol.

No wonder Pakistanis go to any lengths to ensure they’re not seen drinking, even when they smell like a barrel of liquor. I once had dinner with a 74-year-old grandfather who sipped from his spiked bottle of cola but worried that one of the children at the table would get their Pepsis mixed up with his.

I’ve tried to interview my neighborhood liquor-shop owner, but he has discouraged me. There are enough problems in Pakistan, why don’t you write about them? But is this Bombay Sapphire knockoff you’re selling any good? How would I know? he said, I have never had a drop. Not even for medicinal purposes.

Source: The New York Times

December 6, 2016
NTUC-Fairprice Alcohol-Free Baby Wipes Contain Alcohol Dangerous To Infants

Dear NTUC FairPrice, I would like to bring your attention to this product that I just purchased from your FairPrice supermarket today.

I was about to use it when my wife read the label, and commented – “What Alcohol Free? There’s alcohol in the ingredients!” True enough, Benzyl Alcohol was in the list of ingredients, and on the opposite panel it says Alcohol Free.

What shocked us further is when we searched Benzyl Alcohol and found that it is DANGEROUS TO VERY YOUNG CHILDREN!

Attached are photos of your “Made In China for FairPrice” product for reference.

I would like a refund for this product, although I opened the shrink wrap, I did not use the product.

I would also like to call for a total product recall unless you are able to prove that the product is “Alcohol Free” as claimed, and Benzyl Alcohol in the ingredients is proven not to cause any harm to babies.

Melvin Chia
A.S.S. Reader

Source: www.allsingaporestuff.com

July 23, 2015
Asia-Pacific Breweries (Singapore) Trains Beer Promoters To Sell Alcohol Responsibly

As talks continue between industry players and the authorities over the conditions under which the retail hours of takeaway liquor may be extended, Asia Pacific Breweries (Singapore) said it has trained most of its beer promoters how to sell alcohol responsibly.

It yesterday called for a press conference to announce this, after the company and other major alcohol suppliers had responded to the Government’s plan to impose curbs on alcohol sale and consumption in order to deal with alcohol-induced public disamenities, with the argument that such trouble is typically caused by only a minority of irresponsible drinkers.

Yesterday, APB, which owns and brews for a number of brands, including Tiger Beer, Heineken and Anchor, said more than eight in 10 of its 580 brand promoters, who work in over 500 coffee shops and hawker centres islandwide, are now better equipped to recognise drunk customers and underage drinkers, as well as handle alcohol-related situations, after they attended a three-hour session that included role playing.

Training began in January, and APB said it would train all its promoters by next month.

APB’s initiative does not directly relate to the liquor consumption and retail curbs that kicked in this month under new laws, though its head of corporate relations, Ms Shannen Fong, said: “What we’re trying to do and demonstrate to the government is that operators, largely, are responsible. We want to be able to sell, and we often do sell responsibly.” She added that when this does not happen, it is usually due to knowledge gaps.

Under the Liquor Control (Supply and Consumption) Act, public liquor consumption and sale of takeaway alcohol are no longer allowed from 10.30pm to 7am daily. Stricter rules apply in Geylang and Little India, which have been designated Liquor Control Zones.

Ms Fong said that while many promoters already have strategies to help them handle potentially troublesome clients, the training has added to their tool kits and given assurance to those who are using the right approach when dealing with such customers.

Turning away intoxicated customers at coffee shops is better in the long run, as liquor licences could be affected if alcohol is sold irresponsibly, she added.

She said the most common types of drinkers encountered by beer promoters are those who are noisy, those who are drunk but want to order more and those who get emotional after drinking.

Beer promoter Bang Yun, 26, who has worked three years at Lau Pa Sat, said promoters would try to distract tipsy drinkers and get them to eat something or drink water.

Promoters would tell drinkers that safety is paramount or ask the drinkers’ friends to persuade them to stop drinking, said Ms Ann Koh, 50, who also works at Lau Pa Sat.

Outlet managers and supervisors of three companies, Kopitiam Investment, S-11 F&B Holdings and another that did not want to be named, have joined the training programme, but APB is trying to get more coffee shops and hawker centres to come on board.

Mr Vincent Cheong, Kopitiam’s corporate communications manager, said the training benefits the company’s staff and customers. Patrons who do not drink can enjoy a more conducive dining environment without disturbance from unruly drinkers, he said.

The Ministry of Home Affairs welcomed APB’s initiative and said the programme would help address public disorder and disamenities that arise from excessive drinking. “Liquor suppliers and retailers are encouraged to adopt measures towards responsible liquor sale, in accordance with the Liquor Control (Supply and Consumption) Act,” said a spokesperson.

Source: www.todayonline.com

April 21, 2015
Children In Singapore Start Consuming Alcohol At Increasingly Younger Age

Ben had his first drink of whiskey and cola when he was 13 and in Secondary One. It was with a group of friends, after school at a staircase near his Redhill home.

It was not a big deal, insists Ben (not his real name), now 18. “My older brother was already drinking and my father drank at home all the time,” he said.

He is part of a new generation of teenagers who are beginning to drink younger, say social workers concerned about a trend they started noticing about four years ago.

“In the past, most teenagers would start drinking at 15 or 16, but now we are seeing 12- or 13-year-olds,” said Dr Carol Balhetchet, senior director for youth services at the Singapore Children’s Society.

One of the main reasons is a growing tolerance for social drinking. “Nowadays, it’s not uncommon for adults to drink socially in front of children,” said Dr Balhetchet.

That was how a seven-year-old girl had her first drink.

“The mother was drinking wine and left it unfinished on the table, the girl just went up and took a sip,” she said.

Figures for alcohol abuse among youth are mostly anecdotal, with VWOs saying they deal with between five and 10 cases each year.

The National Addictions Management Service (NAMS) deals with 10 to 15 cases of problem drinking among youth aged 19 or below each year.

Dr Gomathinayagam Kandasami, a NAMS consultant and head of addiction medicine at the Institute of Mental Health, said that while some teenagers might miss classes because of a drinking binge or argue with their parents, they are unlikely to experience the serious loss in functioning long-time alcoholics grapple with.

“Younger people may not experience the full range of alcohol-related problems,” he said.

Many of them only get help for their drinking habits when the law catches up to them for other offences.

For Ben, that was in 2012 when he stole a bottle of blackcurrant-flavoured vodka from a convenience store.

“I hadn’t had a drink in two weeks and I couldn’t afford alcohol. I couldn’t control myself,” said Ben, who is from a single-parent family and currently serving national service. He was caught on the store’s CCTV cameras and arrested.

The legal age for buying alcohol is 18, but younger people do not have difficulty getting their drinks, social workers said.

“They can easily get older friends to buy drinks for them,” said Ms Lena Teo, assistant director of counselling at the Children-at-Risk Empowerment Association (Care Singapore). “Some buy rice wine from supermarkets, and easily say it is for their mothers to use in cooking.”

Ms Sheena Jebal, principal counselling psychologist at NuLife Care and Counselling Services, said teenagers may pour the liquor into soft drink cans so they can drink undetected in public – under void decks and in parks. “I can say now every youth-at-risk would have experienced drinking at least once,” she said.

The problem is worrying because many go on to more serious vices, she noted. “It’s thrill-seeking behaviour. One starts with smoking first, then drinking – and if they can smoke and drink and not get caught, they will move on to the next level,” she said, adding that some move on to drugs such as Ice and Ecstasy.

This appears to corroborate Central Narcotics Bureau data which shows that drug addicts under 30 now make up two-thirds of new abusers.

Mr Moses Huang, counselling therapist at Ain Society, said the common thread that unites young alcohol abusers tends to be parental neglect. “They can come from low-income families or the super rich. If parents don’t spend time with them to educate them about drinking, they can be easily influenced,” he added.

The VWOs said a concerted effort is needed to address the problem – with education both in schools and in the home.

The Liquor Control Bill – which bans public consumption of alcohol after 10.30pm, and is expected to come into force in April – will also help, said Ms Sheena.

She said the ban is coming at the right time, and added: “If not, you would see more and more young people wasting their lives away drinking.”

Source: www.straitstimes.com

March 2, 2015