MUP in Scotland sees alcohol sales drop
In May 2018, a minimum unit pricing (MUP) structure was introduced in Scotland. This means that alcohol must now be sold for at least 50p per unit of alcohol (10ml/8g alcohol).
In the first 12 months following the MUP introduction, the amount of alcohol sold in Scotland fell, according to an NHS Health Scotland study. Conversely, alcohol sales rose in other areas of the UK, where the MUP structure was not in place.
The study revealed that the volume of pure alcohol sold per adult in Scotland’s off-trade sector fell by 3.6% (from 7.4 litres to 7.1 litres) by May 2019.
In England and Wales, volume sales rose from 6.3 litres to 6.5 litres during the same period.
“This is the first time we have been able to analyse sales data covering the full year following the introduction of MUP, and it is encouraging that off-trade alcohol sales fell in Scotland following its implementation,” said NHS Health Scotland Public Health Intelligence Advisor, Lucie Giles.
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