MEDIA RELEASE
Friday 9 May 2008
Sauce Is A Cynical Ploy

DB Breweries new product “Tuimato” Sauce is nothing but a cynical PR ploy to further brand New Zealand kitchens and BBQ’s with alcohol.

Alcohol Healthwatch Director Rebecca Williams says that not only will the Tui brand be seen in the beer section of supermarkets, now it will be staring your kids in the face when you are choosing tomato sauce.

Recent research shows that young people under the legal purchase age in New Zealand already see as many if not more alcohol advertisements than adults. Research shows that this exposure predicts earlier drinking and heavier drinking.

Another study analysing the extent of alcohol imagery on New Zealand television found that there was on average one alcohol scene in every nine minutes of screening. Furthermore, scenes depicting positive or neutral themes outnumbered those showing the adverse effects of drinking by 12 to 1.

Williams says that exposure to alcohol advertising and imagery is something we need to control if we are to effectively address our drinking culture. Self regulation by the liquor and advertising industries continues to fail us and only serves to ensure that we stay entrapped in our current drinking culture. This culture costs us between $1.4 and $16 billion a year in social costs.

There are struggling families out there that could come up with options for how this money could be put to better use.

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