Menstuff® has compiled the following information on Alcopops.
Calif. Hearing Targets 'Alcopop' Marketing
About Alcopops
What you should know about alcopops...
Utah Limits Alcopop Sales
Alcopop Tax Battle Continues
The Cost of Alcopops to Youth and
California
Youth Coalition Spurs Action on Alcopops
Tax
Calif. Hearing Targets 'Alcopop'
Marketing
Support the youth petition to re-classify
Alcopops as Distilled Spirits
How your state's politicians
make underage drinking legal
Utah Limits Alcopop Sales
California Will Tax and Regulate Alcopops as
Liquor
Anheuser-Busch Will Stop
Selling Alcoholic Energy Drinks
Miller Brewing Company to
Drop "Alcospeed" Drinks
Support the youth petition to
re-classify Alcopops as Distilled Spirits - www.marininstitute.org/alcopops/alcopops_youth.htm
From hard lemonade to alcoholic energy drinks that look just like their non-alcoholic counterparts, new alcopops enter the market with a disturbing frequency. The industry loves alcopops, or Flavored Malt Beverages (FMBs) as they call them, for several reasons:
Targeting Girls: Alcopops have roughly the same amount of alcohol as beer, but their high sugar and–in some cases--caffeine content does a great job of masking the flavor and the affect. And that’s where young women come in. In recent years, Teen girls report drinking more alcohol more often than their male peers and the American Medical Association (AMA) points to the popularity of Alcopops or ‘girlie drinks’ as a significant factor behind the shift.
Taxes: Alcopops – which the industry claims are “brewed” malt, are categorized as “beer” and that means that their producers avoid the significantly higher tax rates for spirits or “hard alcohol. Low taxes also help keep the price point low and the youth appeal high.
Availability: Their status as “beer” makes alcopops much easier to buy than hard alcohol. In California and a number of other states, that means they’re available wherever beer is available, such as convenience stores gas stations and mini-marts.
Read on to find out how you can get involved in our efforts to
raise awareness about these products.
Youth Petition Spurs Action by Board of Equalization
Organizations can support the reclassification of alcopops by
signing on to a Statement
of Support. Do it today!
Alcopops FAQ:
Prevention advocates use the term “alcopops” for sweetened alcoholic beverages that are usually sold in single serving bottles or cans. They are often bubbly and/or fruit-flavored, and resemble soda or other soft drinks. Alcopops contain about the same amount of alcohol as beer (roughly 5%, sometimes higher). However, up to half the alcohol in alcopops is derived from distilled spirits. Alcopops are also known in the industry as “flavored malt beverages,(FMBs)” “malternatives,” and “flavored alcoholic beverages.”
How are alcopops made?
While industry keeps most manufacturing information secret, from what little we do know, alcopops apparently start out as beer. Then manufacturers remove the color, taste, and much of the alcohol from the beer, leaving mostly water. They then add flavorings, sweeteners, and distilled alcohol for the finished product.
When did alcopops first come on the scene?
Alcopops have been around since the mid-1990s. Zima, introduced by Coors in 1994, was one of the first products. Even then, popular culture references made fun of Zima’s appeal among young girls. Skits on Saturday Night Live featured a married man attempting to seduce a babysitter with Zima, and a teenage girl hosting a party and offering Zima to her friends. Wine-based coolers, like Gallo’s Bartles&Jaymes, switched to a beer base in the 1990’s and are now know as “flavored malt coolers.”
What companies make alcopops?
Manufacturers include Anheuser-Busch, the world’s largest brewer, and Diageo, the largest multinational beer, wine, and spirits company in the world. The top selling alcopops brands include Mike’s Hard Lemonade (Mark Anthony Group), Smirnoff Ice (Diageo), Skyy Blue (Skyy Vodka and SAB Miller), Bacardi Silver and Bacardi Breezer (both Anheuser-Busch).
Who is drinking alcopops?
Underage girls drink alcopops more than any other type of alcoholic beverage. While industry says the drinks are intended for adults, women 21 and older rank alcopops as their least consumed alcoholic beverage. About one-third of teenage girls ages 12 to 18 and one-fifth of teenage boys have tried alcopops. Young people call alcopops “cheerleader beer,” “chick beer,” and “bitch beer.”
Alcopops fuel the epidemic of underage drinking. Because they don’t taste, smell, or look like alcohol, alcopops serve as a transition or bridge from soft drinks to alcohol, especially for young girls. The packaging and promotion of alcopops has led to a misperception these products are “lighter” than similar products. Young people report drinking alcopops because they are easier to conceal and “go down easy.”
How are alcopops currently taxed and why is this a problem?
Because the alcohol industry cleverly calls alcopops “flavored malt beverages,” the state of California currently taxes alcopops as beer, at the relatively low rate of 20 cents per gallon. This is inconsistent with California law that requires alcoholic beverages with any distilled spirits to be taxed as distilled spirits, at the much higher rate of $3.20 per gallon. Failure to collect additional taxes on these products costs the government approximately $53 million in lost revenue annually.
Also, because companies enjoy such low taxes, they can keep product prices down and more appealing to youth. Thus, incorrectly taxing alcopops mean that young people can buy alcopops for less than the cost of a soda.
Why is the California Board of Equalization (BOE) considering changing how alcopops are taxed?
Late last year, four young people, representing California’s youth, petitioned the BOE to reclassify alcopops as distilled spirits. These young people presented their petition at a public hearing in December 2006 and the BOE voted to accept the petition and initiated a series of public meetings and analysis to review alcopop taxes. The BOE is scheduled to make a decision regarding the reclassification of alcopops in August 2007.
Would reclassifying alcopops create a new tax?
No. Reclassifying alcopops would end years of tax evasion by the makers of alcopops and collect approximately $53 million in additional annual revenue.
What is the alcopops lawsuit that was filed against the Board of Equalization?
Santa Clara County has filed a lawsuit against the BOE also demanding reclassification of alcopops as distilled spirits and taxation of these products consistent with California law. This lawsuit is an additional legal strategy to affect the same outcome as the petition process: the correct tax classification of alcopops as distilled spirits.
What are the two California bills that are currently pending on alcopops?
AB 346 - An Act to Restrict Youth Access to Alcoholic Beverages with Special Appeal to Minors, introduced by Assembly Member Jim Beall, will limit youth access to alcohol products, such as alcopops, with particular youth appeal. Alcohol-spiked “energy drinks” and pre-packaged “Jell-O-shots” are defined by the bill has having special youth appeal. For all other beverages, the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control will identify youth appeal based on the taste and packaging of the beverage and the extent of youth consumption. Products determined to have special youth appeal will be required to carry a label, “Warning: Contains Alcohol” and be subject to specific marketing restrictions to limit youth access.
AB 345 - The Underage Drinking Prevention Act of 2007, introduced by Assembly Member Lori Saldana, allocates $53 million in tax revenue resulting from the proper taxation of alcopops to the prevention of underage drinking. Revenue from a new license fee for manufacturers, distributors, and retailers of alcopops will also go into the fund. The fund will be divided among the Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control (20% for enforcement of underage drinking laws), the State Department of Alcohol and Drug Programs (30% for market research, a media campaign, and assessment of youth recovery programs), and county health departments (50% for emergency/trauma services, youth recovery and prevention programs).
What is the industry position on why alcopops should not be classified as distilled spirits and what is the best response?
Argument #1: The alcohol added to alcopops isn’t really distilled spirits.
The makers of alcopops are trying to claim there is a distinction between the “neutral spirits” they add to alcopops and “distilled spirits” referenced in California law. But California law clearly requires any “hybrid” beverages such as alcopops to be classified as distilled spirits. Don’t allow industry to play tricks with language.
Argument #2: If the BOE reclassifies alcopops, then many beers, which contain similar additives such as hops extracts, will also fall under this definition.
In this classic slippery slope argument, industry merely seeks to distract and scare the state regulators into believing that correctly classifying alcopops will open the door to unintended reclassification of other products. The best response is to simply say that our concern is alcopops. It’s up to the manufacturers to prove what is in their products. If the beverages contain distilled spirits, they should be taxed accordingly.
What groups and organizations in CA are working to solve this public health problem?
California Youth Council, California Friday Night Live Partnership, and Students Making a Change in Communities filed the petition prompting the current review of alcopops taxes by the BOE. Many other groups actively support this youth led initiative; Alameda County, Alcohol Policy Network, California Coalition on Alcopops and Youth, California Council on Alcohol Policy, California Council on Alcohol Problems, California Girl Scouts Council, California PTA, County Alcohol and Drug Program Administrators of California, Consumers for Auto Reliability and Safety, Environmental Prevention in Communities, Lake County AOD, Marin County, Marin Institute, Mendocino County, Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation, San Diego Policy Panel on Youth Access to Alcohol, Students for a Safer Southside, and Trinity County..
What can we do in our communities to help fight against these products?
Go to www.marininstitute.org to:
What you should know about alcopops...
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Smirnoff Ice |
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Smirnoff Ice Grape |
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Smirnoff Ice Lemon |
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Smirnoff Ice Rasberry |
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Smirnoff Ice Watermellon |
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Bacardi Silver |
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Bacardi Silver Raz |
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Bacardi Silver O3 |
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Bacardi Silver Limón |
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Skyy Blue |
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Henry's Hard Lemonade |
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Jack Daniel's Hard Cola |
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Mike's Hard Lemonade |
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Mike's Hard Cranberry Lemonade |
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Mike's Hard Lime |
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Wet Willy's Edible Drink |
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...More calories than you'd think
Alcopops contain more calories than many high-calorie foods and
drink.
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Alcopop |
Calories |
Product |
Calories |
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Smirnoff Ice |
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12 oz Regular Beer |
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Bacardi Silver |
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12 oz can Cola |
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Skyy Blue |
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1 Hostess Twinkie |
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1 Krispy Kreme glazed donut |
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1 package chocolate-covered malt balls |
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Two out of three Americans say they're surprised that an alcopop has more calories than a Krispy Kreme donut. Most Americans are also clueless about alcopop calorie content and think they have fewer calories than they really have. By wide margins, Americans think that alcopops like Smirnoff Ice, Bacardi Silver, and Skyy Blue are more like liquor than beer, even though they contain no vodka or rum.
College social norm campaigns across the country typically say that most students stop at three or four drinks or less when they party. However, downing five is not unusual in an evening, and if they're alcopops, that means 1150 to 1375 calories...more calories than a Big Mac and a large order of fries (1130) or two slices of Domino's Deep Dish Meatzza (910). Drinking like that won't help you look buff on the beach during Spring Break.
In case you haven't heard, fat is a big problem
In early March, researchers from the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention (CDC) announced that obesity is fast becoming the
leading cause of death in the United States.
Getting the facts would help
Many Americans say they would modify their behavior and drink
fewer alcopops and less alcohol in total if they were aware of the
high calorie content of alcopops. Three in five say that people would
make better decisions if alcohol products provided calorie
information.
Nine in ten Americans support calorie labeling of alcoholic beverages because they believe that such information will help consumers make better choices about their drinking.
Find out how alcopops target underage drinkers.
In December 2003, the National Consumers League (NCL) and CSPI petitioned the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) to require "Alcohol Facts" labels on every alcoholic-beverage container.
References:
1. Mokdad, A.H., Marks, J.S., Stroup, D.F. & Gerberding, J.L. (2004). Actual causes of death in the United States, 2000. JAMA. 291(10):1238-1246.
2. CDC
fact sheet
.
3. Finkelstein, E.A., Fiebelkorn, I.C. & Wang, G. (2004). State-Level Estimates of Annual Medical Expenditures Attributable to Obesity. Obesity Research. 12(1):18–24.
Source: www.cspinet.org/alcopops
"I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that these alcopops are directed to our kids. It is a gateway drug," said Rep. Mike Noel. The state's powerful Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints also expressed support for restricting alcopop sales.
The bill also raises the amount of alcohol in standard mixed
drinks sold in the state from 1 ounce to 1.5 ounces but also banned
so-called "sidecars" -- extra shots of liquor that bar patrons could
pour into their mixed drink. Drinkers may order a shot and a drink,
but the shot can't be of the same liquor as contained in the
drink.
Source: www.jointogether.org/news/headlines/inthenews/2008/utah-limits.html
The Cost of Alcopops to Youth and
California
"Underage drinkers consume 47% of all the alcopops sold in California," said Michele Simon, JD, MPH, Research and Policy Director and co-author of the study with Simon Rosen, both from Marin Institute. "By correctly taxing alcopops as distilled spirits, we could see a 35% decrease in the number of youth drinking alcopops."
The report also finds that proper taxation of alcopops would save the State $437 million annually by reducing incidences of harm, such as traffic accidents, violent crime, high-risk sex, and fetal alcohol syndrome.
Alcopops are sweetened alcoholic beverages that are often bubbly and fruit-flavored, closely resembling soda or energy drinks. Called "cocktails on training wheels" they derive much of their alcohol from distilled spirits and are often branded with spirit names such as "Smirnoff Ice." Industry, however, calls them "flavored malt beverages" so that they can be taxed at the relatively low beer rate, making them less expensive to purchase and available wherever beer is sold.
Thanks to a government petition filed by two youth groups, California Friday Night Live Partnership and California Youth Council, three BOE board members (Betty Yee, Judy Chu and State Controller John Chiang) voted to consider reclassifying alcopops as distilled spirits. All five members of the BOE will make a decision on proper alcopops taxation on August 14. The results of such a change, as the Marin Institute report details, could save lives and money.
"By a simple majority vote, the BOE could save the lives of 21 youths each year in California," said Bruce Livingston, MPP, Executive Director of Marin Institute. "Big alcohol companies want to have alcopops taxed cheaply as beer for the youth market, but they don't want it to be called beer or taste like beer. It's time for BOE to close that tax loophole and save kid's lives."
Participants at the event included:
Also in attendance were SF Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi (Dist. 5), Public Law Group, EPIC (Environmental Prevention in Communities), the Adopt-An-Alleyway project (AAA) of the Chinatown Community Development Center, Youth Leadership Institute, BAYCAT (Bayview Hunters Point Center for Arts & Technology), CommPre (Community Prevention of Alcohol-Related Problems), and representatives from Santa Clara County.
"We're going to continue to be vigilant on this issue," said State Senator Carole Migden (D–San Francisco), who spoke passionately about the dangers of marketing alcopops to underage girls. "I hope that we can move forward, hand in hand, to stop teen girls from being targeted by alcohol companies."
For additional information see www.marininstitute.org
Source: www.jointogether.org/news/yourturn/announcements/2007/the-cost-of-alcopops-to-youth.html
Calif. Hearing Targets 'Alcopop'
Marketing
The Alcopop Tax Battle Continues
Youth Coalition Spurs Action on Alcopops
Tax
In addition to increasing State tax revenue by approximately $40
million, the reclassification of alcopops as distilled spirits
“would raise the price, and reduce appeal to young
people.”
California Will Tax and Regulate Alcopops as
Liquor
"I believe that the ultimate effect of this regulatory change will be positive," said BOE chair Judy Chu, Ph.D. "It will send a signal to youth that alcopops are hard liquor -- because these drinks will now have costs that are similar to hard liquor. It will make it harder for young people to access alcopops, and that can only be helpful in reducing underage drinking."
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