IARD members’ five clear and direct actions to accelerate efforts toward eliminating underage drinking

Symbols or written age restrictions will be added to labels globally on alcohol drinks produced by IARD members, sending an even clearer message that these products are not for minors. The initiative also applies to alcohol-free extensions of alcohol brands and will be delivered by 2024.  

Recognizing the growing importance of digital communications, IARD members commit to taking further action to prevent minors from seeing or interacting with their brands online – building on a unique partnership with leading digital platforms announced in 2019.  

These actions are a direct response to the challenges set out in the 2018 United Nations Political Declaration on noncommunicable diseases, which calls for concrete steps towards eliminating the marketing, advertising, and sale of alcohol products to minors. 

IARD members oppose any consumption of alcohol by minors. In January 2020 IARD members announced a new set of five clear and direct actions aimed at accelerating efforts toward eliminating underage drinking. These actions are a direct response to the challenges made to our sector in the 2018 United Nations Political Declaration on noncommunicable diseases.

Members invite retailers to work with them to do more to prevent sales to minors. And, they urge parents not to share alcohol with their children as they call on all parts of society to come together to eliminate underage drinking.

Albert Baladi, President and CEO of Beam Suntory and IARD CEO Chair, said:
 
“These five actions mark another step towards our goal of eliminating underage drinking. Minors should not drink alcohol, and we proactively support strict enforcement of legal purchase and drinking age regulation.
 
“Although underage drinking has fallen in many parts of the world, this trend is not universal. We want to accelerate progress and work with others to eliminate underage drinking in every community through a whole-of-society approach.
 
“We call on other producers to join us. We call on retailers to work with us to do more to prevent minors from buying alcohol in stores and online. And we call on parents and other adults to support us by not buying alcohol for, or sharing alcohol with, children and minors, even if they do this with good intentions.
 
“Together, we must ensure everyone reinforces the message that underage drinking is socially unacceptable.”