ALCOPOPS
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Alcopop Tax Battle Continues
Youth Coalition Spurs Action on Alcopops Tax
Calif. Hearing Targets 'Alcopop' Marketing
Utah Limits Alcopop Sales

What you should know about alcopops...
They're loaded with calories

Brand
Calories (per 12 oz)

Smirnoff Ice

228

Smirnoff Ice Grape

.

Smirnoff Ice Lemon

.

Smirnoff Ice Rasberry

.

Smirnoff Ice Watermellon

.

Bacardi Silver

225

Bacardi Silver Raz

225

Bacardi Silver O3

225

Bacardi Silver Limón

225

Skyy Blue

235

Henry's Hard Lemonade

315

Jack Daniel's Hard Cola

232

Mike's Hard Lemonade

220

Mike's Hard Cranberry Lemonade

222

Mike's Hard Lime

.

Wet Wukky's Edible Drink

NA

...More calories than you'd think
Alcopops contain more calories than many high-calorie foods and drink.

Alcopop

Calories

Product

Calories

Smirnoff Ice

228

12 oz Regular Beer

145

Bacardi Silver

225

12 oz can Cola

150

Skyy Blue

277

1 Hostess Twinkie

150

.

.

1 Krispy Kreme glazed donut

200

.

.

1 package chocolate-covered malt balls

180

Two out of three Americans say they're surprised that an alcopop has more calories than a Krispy Kreme donut. Most Americans are also clueless about alcopop calorie content and think they have fewer calories than they really have. By wide margins, Americans think that alcopops like Smirnoff Ice, Bacardi Silver, and Skyy Blue are more like liquor than beer, even though they contain no vodka or rum.

College social norm campaigns across the country typically say that most students stop at three or four drinks or less when they party. However, downing five is not unusual in an evening, and if they're alcopops, that means 1150 to 1375 calories...more calories than a Big Mac and a large order of fries (1130) or two slices of Domino's Deep Dish Meatzza (910). Drinking like that won't help you look buff on the beach during Spring Break.

In case you haven't heard, fat is a big problem
In early March, researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced that obesity is fast becoming the leading cause of death in the United States.

  • Poor diet and physical inactivity accounted for 400,000 deaths in 2000.1
  • Some health risks include: high blood pressure, high cholesterol levels, coronary heart disease (CHD), Type 2 diabetes, stroke, osteoarthritis, respiratory problems, some cancers.2
  • In 1998, economic costs associated with obesity exceeded $78.5 billion ($92.6 billion in 2002 dollars).3
  • Besides, you may not feel so good lugging that extra baggage around.

Getting the facts would help
Many Americans say they would modify their behavior and drink fewer alcopops and less alcohol in total if they were aware of the high calorie content of alcopops. Three in five say that people would make better decisions if alcohol products provided calorie information.

Nine in ten Americans support calorie labeling of alcoholic beverages because they believe that such information will help consumers make better choices about their drinking.

Find out how alcopops target underage drinkers.

In December 2003, the National Consumers League (NCL) and CSPI petitioned the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) to require "Alcohol Facts" labels on every alcoholic-beverage container.

References:

1. Mokdad, A.H., Marks, J.S., Stroup, D.F. & Gerberding, J.L. (2004). Actual causes of death in the United States, 2000. JAMA. 291(10):1238-1246.

2. CDC fact sheet .

3. Finkelstein, E.A., Fiebelkorn, I.C. & Wang, G. (2004). State-Level Estimates of Annual Medical Expenditures Attributable to Obesity. Obesity Research. 12(1):18–24.

Source: www.cspinet.org/alcopops

Utah Limits Alcopop Sales


Utah lawmakers have amended state law to ban grocery stores from selling wine coolers and flavored malt beverages -- also known as "alcopops" -- and restrict sales of these products to state liquor stores.

"I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that these alcopops are directed to our kids. It is a gateway drug," said Rep. Mike Noel. The state's powerful Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints also expressed support for restricting alcopop sales.

The bill also raises the amount of alcohol in standard mixed drinks sold in the state from 1 ounce to 1.5 ounces but also banned so-called "sidecars" -- extra shots of liquor that bar patrons could pour into their mixed drink. Drinkers may order a shot and a drink, but the shot can't be of the same liquor as contained in the drink.
Source: www.jointogether.org/news/headlines/inthenews/2008/utah-limits.html

Calif. Hearing Targets 'Alcopop' Marketing


Flavored alcoholic malt beverages -- a.k.a. 'alcopops' -- appeal to children and often are packaged to closely resemble soda, witnesses told a California Senate panel.
Source: www.jointogether.org/news/headlines/inthenews/2006/calif-hearing-targets.html

The Alcopop Tax Battle Continues


The California Board of Equalization is currently considering reclassification of alcopops. The alcohol industry is working hard to keep the taxes on alcopops low. The BOE needs to hear from you now!

Youth Coalition Spurs Action on Alcopops Tax


The California State Board of Equalization will hold its first public meeting February 22, 2007, as part of a rule-making process prompted by a youth petition asking the BOE to reclassify alcopops as distilled spirits.

In addition to increasing State tax revenue by approximately $40 million, the reclassification of alcopops as distilled spirits “would raise the price, and reduce appeal to young people.”

Support the youth petition to re-classify Alcopops as Distilled Spirits - www.marininstitute.org/alcopops/alcopops_youth.htm

 Think about it!

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