26 September 2025
By James Bayley in Drinks Business
Image by NZ Winegrowers
The World Health Organisation’s claim that there is no safe level of alcohol has triggered fierce resistance from the global drinks trade. Previously, physician and vintner Dr Laura Catena has challenged what she calls misinformation, arguing that credible science shows moderate wine consumption may offer health benefits.
As reported by Reuters, industry groups from Belgium’s brewers to Mexico’s Tequila producers and companies such as Heineken mounted a concerted campaign this summer to soften or remove references to WHO-backed alcohol controls in a new United Nations health agreement.
The first draft, published in May, had included commitments to raise alcohol taxes and restrict availability. By September, after months of lobbying, these had been diluted to a polite suggestion that governments might “consider” such measures “in line with national circumstances”. [READ MORE…]