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Off-trade sales fall in MUP’s first year

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The volume of pure alcohol sold per adult in Scotland fell by 3.6% in the year following the introduction of Minimum Unit Pricing (MUP), according to a study conducted by NHS Health Scotland.

Compared to the twelve months which preceded implementation of MUP in May 2018, the volume of pure alcohol sold per adult in the off-trade in Scotland decreased from 7.4 to 7.1 litres.

This boils down to the average adult in Scotland cutting consumption by the equivalent of about a 70cl bottle of vodka. What it also means is that they’re still downing in the region of 27 bottles a year.

In England & Wales – with no MUP in place – the figure rose from 6.3 to 6.5 litres.

Sales of cider fell the most (down 18.6%), while sales of spirits fell by 3.8%, and sales of beer remained relatively stable (down 1.1%). Sales of cider, spirits and beer all increased in England & Wales over the same time period. Fortified wine – already priced above 50p per unit anyway – was the only drink category where sales increased in Scotland.

The findings also suggest Scots aren’t crossing the border to bulk buy booze in any great numbers; alcohol sales in the north of England were similar to the rest of England & Wales.

However, Lucie Giles, Public Health Intelligence Advisor at NHS Health Scotland, said: “We will continue to examine a variety of data sources to ensure we understand cross-border activity as far as possible.”

NHS Health Scotland plans to conduct further studies looking at longer term, post-MUP data.

The Scottish government will review the MUP level after May, two years on from its introduction.

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This website contains images and information relating to tobacco products. Please do not view if you are under 18 years of age.

This publication contains images and information relating to tobacco products. Please do not view if you are under the age of 18 years old.