Health Experts Worry Over Cider’s Appeal To Younger Drinkers

Calls for alcohol levy


Article heading image for Health Experts Worry Over Cider’s Appeal To Younger Drinkers

Image: Fat Little Lamb/Facebook

Health experts are voicing their concerns around the popularity of flavoured heavy cider among younger drinkers.

University of Queensland researcher Dr Nicholas Carah said products like Fat Little Lamb appealed to this segment of the market for its super sweet range of flavours and its relatively cheap price point, The Age reports.

“It reminds me of Passion Pop [sparkling wine] a generation ago, it was just a cheap drink to get real loaded on,” he said.

With Fat Little Lamb sold and labelled as a “brewed alcoholic drink”, VicHealth’s VicHealth's principal program officer for alcohol Maya Rivis said the cider contained an alcohol volume of eight per cent or eight standard drinks, and started at just $4.

“It's sold in a bottle that looks like soft drink and it tastes like soft drink,” she said.

“Young kids who are inexperienced around alcohol drink it very quickly and before they know it they're in a lot of trouble.”

Ms Rivis supports the introduction of an alcohol levy to increase the base price of alcohol including cider, which could assist with fighting the nation’s binge drinking culture.

“The evidence around price is really clear, it's a real deterrent for people," she added.

"It's like tobacco, increase the price and people will reduce the amount they drink."

Triple M Newsroom

9 April 2018

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Triple M Newsroom




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