Multi-deals on alcohol sales to be banned in new drink purge

NEW regulations on the sale of alcohol, such as a ban on loyalty card points being awarded for purchases, as well as bans on short-term multi-buy deals, will come into effect from today.

The changes come from the implementations of the Public Health (Alcohol) Act 2018 and are part of the Government’s efforts to cut consumption, particularly in younger age groups.

It means that supermarkets and offlicences will be banned from selling cut-price alcohol through special deals for a limited period, such as offering six bottles of wine for €40.

However, discounts on individual bottles will still be allowed.

Alcohol also cannot be given away for free when bought alongside other products and earning loyalty points will also be banned.

The new measures were welcomed by Health Minister Stephen Donnelly who said that the regulations mean that price promotions which apply to other groceries can no longer be used for alcohol products.

‘Alcohol is not like other grocery products because of its harmful health effects,’ he said.

‘A young person consuming the same volume of alcohol as an adult drinker is at risk of greater harm to his or her health with a particular risk to the developing adolescent brain.’

Minister Donnelly said that one of the primary objectives of these regulations is to ‘delay the initiation of alcohol consumption by children and young people’.

‘These regulations will ensure that price promotions which result in the sale of alcohol products at pocket money prices cannot continue.’

The new measures have been welcomed by Alcohol Action. Head of Communications Eunan McKinney said: ‘Crucially, the ending of short-term promotion, so evident throughout the supermarket multiples, will bring some reason to what has been truly reckless price reductions on alcohol.’