Alcopop
A Alkopop or Alcopop (composition of alcohol and English. Colloquially [soda] pop , soft drink ) is an alcohol-containing Süßgetränk. These drinks are also known as premix drinks, ready-to-drink (RTD) or designer drinks.
Alcopops consist of a mixture of spirits (such as vodka or whiskey ) and lemonades, fruit juices or other sweetened beverages in which the alcohol is covered in taste by the sweetness. Before the introduction of the special taxes, low prices made alcopops a coveted drink at parties and events, in addition to the lack of the typical bitter taste of alcohol. The target audience is primarily young people who often reject the taste of alcohol in its traditional form (wine, beer or spirits). The danger of these products is that they quench your thirst without actually tasting the alcohol they contain. This is how many young people get used to drinking alcohol.
The linguistic differentiation from other mixed drinks is controversial in everyday language, but for Germany it is precisely defined in the Alcopop Tax Act .
term
The term "alcopops" is also often used for mixed beer beverages that cannot be counted as alcopops due to the lack of brandy. In connection with special provisions and special taxes on alcopops that have been introduced in some European countries, reference is made exclusively to mixed drinks containing spirits, which is why the term "alcopops" can only be used for sweet drinks containing spirits.
Whether non-sweet mixed drinks or mixed drinks in cans or tubes can also be called "alcopops" is currently answered differently. In January 2012, the Swiss Federal Supreme Court ruled that the " Conelly Cocktails" were "mixed ready to consume" and therefore classified as alcopop in terms of Swiss law. This product consists of two cans connected with a plastic ring that contain an alcohol or fruit juice mixture and can be mixed in the cocktail shaker provided.
distribution
In terms of marketing strategy, alcopops are primarily aimed at young audiences. This is one of the reasons why alcopops have been a central part of alcohol policy discussions for several years. Alcopops are a popular drink, especially among young people, because the sweet additives (e.g. lemonade) mask the bitter taste typical of alcohol .
Alcopops are extremely profitable products for manufacturers of "classic" alcoholic beverages. Because they cost the end consumer significantly more than the corresponding amount of mixed ingredients for these drinks.
The alcohol content of alcoholic alcopops averages between 5.0% and 6.0% vol (a little more than in most types of beer). The manufacturers counter the accusation of deliberately targeting young people with particularly “peppy” advertising with the objection that all the persons depicted in the advertising are clearly over 18 years old. Typical for the marketing of these beverages is the introduction of the product first in restaurants and discotheques and then in supermarkets and the beverage trade.
A boom in alcoholic sweet drinks can be observed around the world: in Japan it is the Chuhai , in the USA it is the wine cooler . In the Netherlands one speaks of the breezercultuur , named after Bacardi Breezer. As a result, the sweet alcoholics seduce the youth into irresponsible behavior.
Since the 1970s there have already been some comparable waves with sweet alcoholic mixed drinks, with "Wine Coolers", which however have only turned out to be a relatively short-lived fad.
Statutory ban on sales
Germany
Since alcopops are mixed from high-proof spirits and other ingredients, according to the youth protection law in Germany , the sale and delivery is only permitted to people over the age of 18. In addition, manufacturers are obliged to put the note "Sale to persons under 18 years of age prohibited, Section 9 Youth Protection Act " on the pre-pack or, if not available, on the front label of the bottles in the same font and in the same size and color as the bottles before they are placed on the market To attach brand or fantasy names.
" § 9 Alcoholic beverages
(1) In restaurants, sales outlets or otherwise in public
- 1. Brandy, beverages containing brandy or foods that contain brandy in more than a small amount, to children and young people,
- 2. Other alcoholic beverages for children and young people under 16 years of age
neither may they be given nor allowed to consume.
(4) Alcohol-containing sweet drinks within the meaning of Section 1, Paragraphs 2 and 3 of the Alcohol Tax Act may only be placed on the market with the notice "Sale to persons under 18 years of age prohibited, Section 9 Youth Protection Act". This note is to appear on the prepackaging in the same font, size and color as the brand or imaginary name or, if not available, as the sales description and affixed to the front label of bottles. "
Austria
In Austria , the youth protection laws of the federal states were largely harmonized at the beginning of 2019. Until then, in Vienna, Lower Austria and Burgenland, adolescents aged 16 and over were allowed to purchase and consume all alcohol, including alcopops, but in the rest of the federal states it was forbidden to use distilled alcohol in its pure form or in mixed form until the age of 18 also alcopops) to acquire and consume. Since January 1, 2019, people under the age of 18 are not allowed to buy or consume distilled alcohol including alcopops anywhere in Austria.
Switzerland
In Switzerland , the distribution of alcoholic beverages to persons under the age of 16 and of distilled water (= spirits as well as beer and wine with more than 15% by volume and natural wine with more than 18% by volume) to persons under the age of 18 is prohibited . In the canton of Ticino , however, there is a general ban on selling alcohol to people under the age of 18. Since alcopops contain high-proof spirits, sales to people under the age of 18 are prohibited nationwide.
Alcopop tax
Alcopop taxation in Germany
In order to counteract the consumption of alcopops by young people, a special tax has been in effect on these drinks since July 1, 2004. A standard 275 milliliter bottle with 5.5% alcohol has since cost around one euro more (of which around 85 cents are accounted for by the actual alcopop tax and the remainder by the sales tax , which is also levied on the alcopop tax). See also: Alkopopsteuergesetz (Germany) .
The Responsible Use of Alcohol initiative demanded in an advertising campaign that the planned alcopop tax be waived. Among other things, the ad said that the tax only leads to an evasive reaction and therefore does not serve the protection of minors. The Süddeutsche Zeitung published its research on June 24, 2004, according to which the Diageo company is behind the initiative , which sells almost 50 high-percentage alcohol products, including several alcopops.
With the alcopop tax, the German state received around € 10 million at its peak in 2005. Since then, income has fallen steadily to around € 1 million in 2014 (see Alcopop Tax Act ).
Alcopop taxation in Switzerland
In Switzerland, a special tax on alcopop beverages was introduced in February 2004, which is significantly higher than in Germany. 1.80 francs are charged per bottle, which has led to an increase in the average sales price of a bottle by almost 80% from 2.30 francs to 4.10 francs. According to the Federal Alcohol Administration (EAV), this radical measure has led to a drastic collapse in the Swiss market: the bottles imported into Switzerland exclusively as imported goods fell from 39 million in 2002 and 25 million in 2003 to only 16 million in 2004 . However, almost half of the imported bottles were made in January 2004 alone, i.e. before the introduction of the special tax. The SAB assumes that the special tax will successfully displace alcopops in Switzerland from the market.
Decline in consumption
In those states that have introduced special taxes on mixed drinks containing spirits, the governments claim that the decline in sales of the products concerned is due to the introduction of these tax measures. In Austria, where the introduction of an alcopop tax was discussed but never implemented, alcopop sales fell by almost two thirds from 2003 to 2005, parallel to Germany. This suggests that the decline in sales in Germany and Switzerland is not a result of the alcopop tax, but can be explained by an independent trend. Of course, it cannot be ruled out that the public debate and developments in neighboring countries have raised the awareness of the alcohol industry, which then reacted - anticipating possible image-damaging legal measures - by withdrawing the aggressive marketing strategies for alcopops.
Reactions and countermeasures by beverage manufacturers
In response to this special tax for alcopops, numerous manufacturers have announced that they will change the composition of their drinks, as several companies announced in the Hamburger Abendblatt on August 3, 2004.
Market-leading companies in the spirits sector, such as Bacardi or Smirnoff, reject such a change for reasons of image. According to Smirnoff, customers expect vodka in a Smirnoff Ice . Furthermore, the entire product would have to be "revised in terms of content", which would also involve immense costs for new marketing. The response for companies of this type is to offer the original product at almost the same price as before the special tax. The tax only reduces the profit of the beverage manufacturers, who compensate for this with savings in advertising expenditure. The original idea of keeping young people away from the product with the increased price is at least circumvented in the manner that is externally noticeable to the customer.
Consequences of the special tax on alcopops
There is a limited switch to mixed beer and wine beverages . These are not affected by the special tax and are therefore cheaper, and like wine and beer, they can be consumed by young people aged 16 and over. The survey by the Federal Center for Health Education (BZgA) on the development of alcohol consumption among adolescents from May 2005 shows an increase in the amount of beer and wine-based mixed drinks consumed in the group of 12 to 17-year-old male adolescents of 4.8 7, 7 grams of pure alcohol per week. In the female adolescents of this age group, the amount decreased from 2.8 to 2.6 g per week. Overall, the amount of alcohol consumed through wine or beer containing alcopops rose from 3.9 g to 5.3 g, while the amount consumed through alcoholic alcopops fell from 8.5 g to 2.2 g. The proportion of adolescents who have not consumed any wine or beer containing alcopops in the last month or year has increased significantly among female adolescents and slightly among male adolescents.
"A substitution of alcoholic drinks with mixed drinks containing wine and beer as well as alcopops with other alcoholic beverages is likely to have taken place at most to a minor extent." (Report of the Federal Government on the effects of the Alcopop Tax Act on the alcohol consumption of young people under the age of 18 as well as the market development of alcopops and comparable beverages, German Bundestag printed matter 15/5929, p. 3).
To what extent the decline in alcopop sales is actually to be seen as an effect of the special taxes, and to what extent this is just the spontaneous fading of a fashion trend, cannot be scientifically proven. The development in Austria described above speaks for the spontaneous fading of a fashion trend.
In August 2007, the manufacturer Bacardi announced that it would take its two alcopop products Bacardi Breezer and Bacardi Rigo off the market in Germany at the end of the year due to lower sales.
Individual evidence
- ↑ This paragraph is based on recital 3.3 of the judgment 2C_712 / 2011 ( memento of July 14, 2012 in the web archive archive.today ) of the Swiss Federal Court of January 19, 2012, X. GmbH v Eidgenössische alcohol administration. According to Article 5 of the Swiss Copyright Act, the text is in the public domain as a court judgment.
- ↑ Judgment 2C_712 / 2011 ( memento of July 14, 2012 in the web archive archive.today ) of the Swiss Federal Court of January 19, 2012, X. GmbH v Eidgenössischeoholverwaltung.
- ↑ Stricter youth protection now also applies in Vienna. Retrieved June 2, 2019 .
- ^ Federal Chancellery Austria: Smoking and alcohol. help.gv.at, January 1, 2015, accessed on January 10, 2015 .
- ↑ The Federal Authorities of the Swiss Confederation: Food and Utility Articles Ordinance . (Food Ordinance (LMV) 817.02 of March 1, 1995 (as of July 12, 2005) - Art. 11: Sales and promotion restrictions for alcoholic beverages, Paragraph 1). admin.ch, December 23, 2005, accessed on January 10, 2015 .
- ^ Federal Office of Public Health (BAG): Alcohol, Tobacco, Drugs, National Addiction Strategy. Protection of minors. bag.admin.ch, May 16, 2013, accessed on January 10, 2015 .
- ^ The federal authorities of the Swiss Confederation: Federal law on distilled water. 680 Federal Act of June 21, 1932 on Distilled Water (Alcohol Act) - First Section: General Provisions Art. 2; Fifth Section: Trade in distilled water for drinking: Art. 41 IV. Retail trade. admin.ch, January 1, 1933, accessed on January 10, 2015 .
- ↑ Uhl A. et al. (2009): Handbook: Alcohol - Austria: Numbers, Data, Facts, Trends 2009. Third revised and expanded edition ( Memento of March 4, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) (PDF; 7.7 MB): Federal Ministry of Health, Vienna ( Page 257, chapter 11.5 Consumption development of alcopops, shandy and other alcoholic mixed drinks)
- ↑ Article in the Hamburger Abendblatt
- ↑ Article on Financial Times Deutschland ( Memento from September 29, 2007 in the Internet Archive )
