Aims: To assess changes in total alcohol consumed over time and changes in consumption of different alcoholic beverages in South Africa. In addition, to assess the utility of industry sales data for evaluating the impact of policy changes related to a packaging ban on wine products in September 2007, and bans on alcohol sales during the COVID19 pandemic in 2020 and 2021. Design. Alcohol industry sales data as a proxy for consumption were assessed using statistics presented in South African Wine Industry Information & Systems (SAWIS) booklets released annually between 1995 and 2022, and used to describe changes over time in consumption overall, and by product, and the impact of policy changes on consumption. Results. Per capita consumption of alcoholic beverages overall in South Africa has held steady or declined over time, but declines in the market share of wine and beer (especially) and a massive increase for Ready-To-Drinks (RTDs) were noted. The consumption data also indicated short term effects of Covid-19 interventions (especially in 2020) in terms of reducing overall alcohol consumption, with a return to prior levels in 2022. Industry data on packaging for wine was able to show the immediate and longer-term impact of the 2007 ban on wine sold in foil bags. Conclusion. Industry data are a useful adjunct to consumer measures of alcohol use, as well as for detecting the impact of policy changes related to alcohol availability and packaging, notwithstanding gaps in information on illicit/unrecorded sales and other limitations.
原文链接
分享
引用
