“I’m going to drink Red Berry today. The red color matches my hair!” “Nah, I’ll stick with Tropical Lemon, it just tastes cool!”. An innocent conversation in front of the juice shelf? No, a conversation between Laura and Marie, two teenagers who are stocking up on booze for the Shrove Monday parade. Alcopops or RTD (Ready to Drink) create a mood: party mood among the young consumers, sales euphoria among the manufacturers, and hangover mood among politicians and consumer protection. What’s in it? What’s in it?
Coming under fire
The so-called alcopops are mixed drinks made from high-proof alcohol (e.g., rum, vodka, tequila) and/or beer with sodas and juices. The ready-to-drink mixtures are mainly sold in handy 275-milliliter bottles. What looks and tastes like soda pop contains about 5.5 percent alcohol by volume, a double shot per bottle. Alcopops have come under fire ever since health experts linked the trendy drinks to increased alcohol consumption by young people.
“Latin spirit,” cool guys, tanned and sexy – the liquor industry’s advertising clips have discovered the young target group for themselves … and hit the mark. Advertising budgets in the double-digit millions tripled sales last year. This is a successful response to the drop in per capita consumption of high-proof spirits in Germany. To protect young people, consumer associations and the German government are currently discussing a special levy or an advertising ban on alcopops.
Colorful and pop
The bottles look colorful and pop, and the contents taste sweet and sparkling. Presumably, the party drinks are particularly popular with children and young people because they often find beer and wine too bitter and purely high-proof drinks too strong-tasting. In the trendy mixed drinks, sweeteners and intense flavors mask the alcohol. According to a scientific survey of girls and boys between the ages of 11 and 15, alcopops are the most popular alcoholic beverage after beer.
Already one third of all 15-year-old boys drink alcohol regularly. At least the mixed drinks based on high-proof alcohol are considered spirits and, according to the Youth Protection Act, may not be sold to young people under the age of 18. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), alcohol and its consequences (primarily traffic accidents and acts of violence) are the leading cause of death among men between the ages of 15 and 29 throughout Europe.
More alcohol than beer
Whether a gateway drug or not, adults should also know that popular party drinks contain more alcohol than beer, for example. The sweet taste tempts people to drink faster and more than usual. In addition, sugar and carbon dioxide allow the alcohol to pass into the blood particularly easily. So here are a few tips: Water and juice spritzers are best for quenching thirst.
Consultations of the Bundestag on special tax
The Bundestag is currently deliberating on the planned special tax on alcopops. The bill also includes a ban on small – and thus cheaper – cigarette packs. This is intended to better protect young people from alcohol and tobacco. According to the draft, the special tax on alcopops is to amount to 83 cents per 275-milliliter bottle of mixed drinks containing spirits. In addition, a warning label “Sale to persons under 18 years of age prohibited” is to become mandatory on the front. The law is to come into force on July 1, if possible. Source: aid infodienst
