In 2010, the WHO released the Global Strategy to Reduce the Harmful Use of Alcohol (the Global Strategy). However, in 2020, the WHO commenced the development of the Action Plan after progress on the Global Strategy had been slow.

The alcohol companies and their lobby groups made 60 submissions to the consultation on the Action Plan, making up nearly a quarter (24 per cent) of all submissions.

Many of these submissions made misleading claims and misrepresented evidence in an attempt to cast doubt on public health measures that are proven to prevent and reduce the harms from alcohol. The analysis found:

Nearly all these submissions (90 per cent) called for greater alcohol company involvement as a stakeholder/partner in harm reduction and policymaking

More than half (56 per cent) of the submissions cast doubt on the WHO ‘SAFER’ initiatives – evidence-based policies that target the price, availability and promotion of alcohol products, as well as policies to improve health services and prevention of drink driving.

The report also found that only 36 per cent (17) of these submissions referenced any specific evidence to support their arguments, and of these, ten misinterpreted the evidence, and nine promoted weak evidence.