BREAKING Slovakia's prime minister injured in shooting
Media reports say Slovakia’s populist Prime Minister Robert Fico was injured in a shooting and taken to hospital.
New guidance for drinking alcohol could speed up changing consumer drinking habits as younger generations drink less and non-alcoholic beverages become more popular, advocates and business owners in the beverage industry say.
A report released earlier this month by the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction, funded by Health Canada, stirred widespread attention with guidance that consuming more than two drinks per week constituted a moderate health risk due to evidence linking alcohol to cancer -- a significant change from previous guidelines in 2011 that said men could have up to 15 drinks per week with low risk, and women up to 10.
But the new guidelines aren't a nail in the coffin for the beverage industry, businesses say -- though they may hasten the shift in consumer habits that were already underway.
"I mean, the study really just reports what is obvious, which is there's a risk to drinking," said Nick Kennedy, owner of Civil Liberties, a cocktail bar in Toronto.
"I think it's good that we're taking a sober look at drinking culture," he said.
In recent years, customers have been looking to drink less and explore more non-alcoholic options, Kennedy said.
In the past five years, Civil Liberties has expanded its non-alcoholic offerings due to customer demands and a growing number of ingredient options, said Kennedy.
Having these options means the bar can serve a wider variety of customers, he said, and as the taboos around not drinking soften, more people are asking for no- or low-alcohol drinks.
Kennedy doesn't think drinking will ever go away because it's so ingrained in social culture, but he does think attitudes toward alcohol will continue to shift and businesses need to adapt.
Spirits Canada CEO and president Jan Westcott said customer habits around drinking are changing. It's a challenge for the beverage industry, he said, but he thinks that could be positive for the industry as it will force businesses to think a little differently.
The new guidelines have been met with mixed reviews from those in the industry.
Beer Canada, which has seen brewers investing in developing non-alcoholic beers to serve growing consumer interests in recent years, said in an emailed statement that it supports Canada's 2011 drinking guidelines, and urged the government to do an expert review of the new research.
Westcott said he supports the decision to review current advice around alcohol with the updated science, but he thinks the report should be reviewed before official government guidelines are updated.
The new guidelines felt misleading and heavy-handed, said Matt Johnston, CEO of Hamilton, On.-based brewery Collective Arts. While he's not disputing the science behind the risks, he said alcohol is one of many things -- like sugar, salt, or meat -- that are known to be unhealthy in large quantities.
Johnston said he thinks the new guidelines will have an impact on the industry, adding momentum to already-shifting consumer habits around alcohol.
"There's a long term shift towards reduced consumption," he said.
Now, with a "perfect storm" of inflation, economic uncertainty, and these changing behaviours, the market is down compared to pre-COVID, he's noticed.
This presents a difficult scenario for many businesses, said Johnston: customers are changing their habits faster than anticipated, but rising costs and lower sales make it harder to pivot.
Many businesses are likely nervous about the new guidelines, said Kennedy, and understandably so -- for many restaurants and bars, alcohol sales help subsidize other, less lucrative parts of the business.
The timing of the announcement in Dry January, which happens during the slowest sales month for the industry, is likely contributing to those worries, said Kennedy. And he does think some businesses will suffer in the coming years, especially those that are slower to adapt.
Bars and restaurants that don't have good non-alcoholic offerings are "losing out on cash," Kennedy said.
Like Kennedy, Johnston thinks the social nature of alcohol means sales won't "fall off a cliff," but he does think consumers will continue on their current path.
Over the longer term, Johnston said he wants to see health authorities take a measured approach at messaging that takes into consideration the broader scope of health risks to consumers.
Johnston said he's glad Collective Arts had already started to expand, and has been doing test runs of sparkling botanical water, non-alcoholic beer and non-alcoholic cocktails. They also have a sister company that sells cannabis beverages.
"I think the timing is right," he said.
He said as the options available to consumers evolve and grow, so too will consumer preferences, and businesses have to evolve with them.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 30, 2023
If you or someone you know is struggling with addiction or mental health matters, the following resources are available to you:
Media reports say Slovakia’s populist Prime Minister Robert Fico was injured in a shooting and taken to hospital.
Wildfires continue to impact air quality across Western Canada, with conditions expected to worsen on Wednesday before improving.
A new COVID-19 subvariant is dominant in Canada, representing just over 30 per cent of cases in the country, but infectious disease experts say there’s no sign it’ll evolve into a summer 'scarient.'
A massive manhunt was underway in France on Wednesday for an armed gang that killed two prison officers and seriously injured three others to spring an inmate they were escorting.
Thousands of people in Western Canada remain displaced from their homes as wildfires threaten their communities, triggering evacuation orders and alerts.
The sun produced its biggest flare in nearly two decades Tuesday, just days after severe solar storms pummelled Earth and created dazzling northern lights in unaccustomed places.
As wildfires rage in British Columbia, the family of a nine-year-old who died last summer is trying to protect people from poor air quality due to smoke this year.
A Malahide Township resident is out more than $2 million following a romance scam.
The husband of adult film actress Stormy Daniels said on Tuesday that there’s a 'good chance' the couple will leave the country if former U.S. president Donald Trump is acquitted in his Manhattan criminal trial.
When Adam Kirschner wrote 'Slap Shot,' he never imagined the song would be embraced by his favourite team.
A team is ready to help an entangled North Atlantic right whale in the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
A $200 reward is being offered by a North Vancouver family for the safe return of their beloved chicken, Snowflake.
Two daughters and a mother were reunited online 40 years later thanks to a DNA kit and a Zoom connection despite living on three separate continents and speaking different languages.
Mother's Day can be a difficult occasion for those who have lost or are estranged from their mom.
YES Theatre Young Company opened its acclaimed kids’ show, One Small Step, at Sudbury Theatre Centre on Saturday.
An Ottawa pizzeria is being recognized as one of the top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world.
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
A Listowel, Ont. man, drafted by the Hamilton Tigercats last week, is also getting looks from the NFL, despite only playing 27 games of football in his life.