Alcohol loyalty card points banned from today
The new regulations mean the shelving of popular multi-buy deals in supermarkets and off-licences.
The new regulations also ban the selling of an alcohol product at a reduced price for a limited period or because it’s sold with another product or service which means the shelving of popular multi-buy deals in supermarkets and off-licences. But offering a discount on an individual. bottle of alcohol is not prohibited.
The regulations have been designed to restrict price promotions such as supermarket voucher schemes on alcohol products and form the next stage in the rollout of the Government’s scheme to reduce alcohol consumption which has been underway over the last year or so.
In welcoming the new regulations Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly stated that, “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.
“One of the primary objectives of our Public Health (Alcohol) Act 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.
“These Regulations mean that price promotions which apply to other groceries can no longer be used for alcohol products. The coming into force of these Regulations is further progress toward our objective of reducing harmful drinking and the health harms of alcohol consumption in our country.”
The introduction of this latest set of regulations follow the introduction in November 2019 of a ban on alcohol advertising at bus stops and within 200 metres of schools as well as during the showing of certain films at cinemas.
This was followed a year later by the sectioning off of alcohol sales in supermarkets and other mixed trading outlets last November under the regulations, with such areas having to be separated by barriers of at least 1.2 metres in height.
And under the 2018 Act this coming November will see a ban on alcohol advertising at sporting events, events aimed at children and events involving driving or racing motor vehicles.
