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Lynn M. Walding, Administrator

 

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 e - NEWS

August 29, 2003

 

1. Officials Question Detox Facility Idea

2. Atkins Diet Inspires Low-Carb Beers

3. US: Anheuser/Bacardi Launch Third Silver Variant

4. Spirits Marketer Will Continue To Run the Ads Despite Ruling

5. Diageo MD Defends Alcohol Marketer Efforts

6. New Johnnie Walker Ad as Alcohol Debate Hots Up

7. Cleveland Found Guilty of Buying Alcohol for Minors

8. No Simplistic Solutions to Binging

9. Start of Fall Classes Leads to More Alcohol Violations

 

1. Officials Question Detox Facility Idea

By Kristen Schorsch - Iowa City Press-Citizen

August 13, 2003

Regent: State budget makes center unlikely

IOWA CITY - State and local officials have mixed reactions about whether an idea for a detoxification facility for students arrested for public intoxication would be feasible.

The idea for a short-term health and safety facility for people who are unable to function because of excessive alcohol use has been in the works for about five years, said Iowa City Police Chief R.J. Winkelhake.

Phillip Jones, University of Iowa vice president for student services, recently re-introduced the idea. However, he said UI has not made any plans yet.

Iowa state Board of Regents member Robert Downer said the idea would require considerable study given the state's budget issues. The state has chopped about $60 million from UI's budget during the past two years.

"We would have to know where this was leading from a financial standpoint because we're certainly not in a position to undertake new activities at this point that are not part of (UI's) core missions," Downer said.

UI's core missions include education, service and outreach, he said.

UI officials would need to consider health sciences, law enforcement, risk management, legal areas and other resources that would be involved, Jones said. UI officials also have not yet discussed the location and cost of the facility.

Talk of the center comes as student alcohol use continues to be an important issue for the university and the community. The city just implemented an ordinance that will keep 18-year-olds out of bars.

Sen. Joe Bolkcom, D-Iowa City, said the detox facility should incorporate the entire community.

"When you look at intoxication problems at downtown Iowa City, it's not just UI students," he said.

Bolkcom said residents, high school students and individuals living on the streets also add to the intoxication problem.

While Regent member Neil Arbisser also has budget concerns, he said he is not opposed to the idea because of the amount of students that have had some infraction with the law related to substance abuse.

"I think there is a great concern about attacking the problem at a lot of different levels," he said.

The facility also would provide students to not have jail time on their permanent records, he said.

Sen. Bob Dvorsky, D-Coralville, said the facility would offer an alternative to the overcrowding problem at the county jail. While he said he does not think the idea would be a priority for Regent members, he said it might be a priority for UI.

Individuals arrested for public intoxication include those who draw negative attention to themselves, Winkelhake said. Negative attention would include public urination and starting fights.

The facility would offer an alternative to Johnson County Jail, which is where students go now if they are arrested for public intoxication, Winkelhake said.

"(Students) don't really belong in jail," he said.

Winkelhake said students could get assessments of their substance abuse levels, something he said deputies at the county jail are not in positions to do.

Additionally, if students received treatment at the facility, it might reduce their chances of getting in trouble with the law, he said.


 


2. Atkins Diet Inspires Low-Carb Beers

By Theresa Howard, USA TODAY

August 21, 2003

 

NEW YORK — As Atkins diet-conscious Americans obsess about carbohydrates, brewers are looking to fatten profits with low-carb beers.

 

The latest is Labatt USA, which will announce plans Friday for new low-carb take on its Rolling Rock brand called Rock Green Light.

"There are lots of people doing the low-carb thing," President Steve Cahillane says. "You go out to dinner, and half the people are on the Atkins diet. There's something real out there. This is the next evolution of light beer."

Anheuser-Busch blazed the way with the hugely successful rollout last September of its low-carb (2.8 grams per 12 oz. bottle) Michelob Ultra. It has shot to No. 7 in sales for premium beer brands, with a 2.6% market share. And A-B doesn't mind that about 40% of Ultra drinkers shifted from its other products, especially Bud Light: Ultra is priced 12% to 15% higher.

"The brilliance in it is they are trading their consumers up," says UBS Warburg analyst Caroline Levy. "That's great for profit."

Miller Brewing now is also looking for the low-carb action with ads trying to put a new spin on its existing Miller Lite by promoting it as "the original low-carb beer."

Some see low-carb beer as a short-term fad. There were similar doubts about light beers, but while it took 30 years to do it, they now outpace regular beer in sales. Low-carbs also could be the next SnackWell's cookies, which rode the low-fat wave and faded as quickly.

"This will have legs for years but they won't be as big as light," predicts Michael Bellas, president of Beverage Marketing, which tracks trends and sales. "You will see low-carb ... gain some traction for the next couple of years."

It's just starting:

Rock on. Rock Green Light goes on sale Oct. 1, replacing Rolling Rock Light. "David meets Goliath, and we've just built ourselves a great new slingshot," says Cahillane about taking on giant A-B. He expects low-carbs to have 6% to 8% of the beer business in five years. He says creating a brand rather than tweaking Rock Light shows a "clear commitment. We had to start from scratch. It's too big an opportunity."

Get Lite. The struggling Miller label has seen double-digit drops in volume in some markets this summer. Now, TV and radio ads and bottles play up its 3.2-gram carb count.

"There're a lot of body-conscious people out there, and we're reminding them they can have a low-calorie, low-carb beer with flavor," says Miller spokeswoman, Molly Reilly.

Ultra. A-B will boost Ultra's $20 million ad budget next year based on its strong performance.

"This was the right product at the right time," says Bob Lachky, A-B vice president, brand management. "It just hit the consumer mindset perfectly."

Still, carbs aren't everything. "I wouldn't buy (Ultra) for the taste," says Debbie Isenberg of Atlanta, who lost 50 pounds on the Atkins diet. "I much rather like Amstel Light."

 

 
Low-carb leaders

Beer makers are bellying up to carb-conscious consumers, who are reading labels more closely for grams of carbs. Leading brands and their carb counts:

Beer

Carbohydrates per 12 oz.

Michelob Ultra

2.6 g

Rock Green Light

2.6 g

Miller Lite

3.2 g

Amstel Light

5.0 g

Coors Light

5.0 g

Bud Light

6.6 g

Heineken

9.8 g

Budweiser

10.6 g

Coors

11.3 g

Michelob Light

11.7 g

Rolling Rock

13.0 g

Miller Genuine Draft

13.1 g

Sources: Realbeer.com; USA TODAY research


 


3. US: Anheuser/Bacardi Launch Third Silver Variant

Source: just-drinks.com editorial team

August 26, 2003

 

Anheuser-Busch is to launch another Bacardi-branded malternative called Bacardi Silver Raz on the US market.

 

The raspberry flavoured variant joins the current portfolio that includes Bacardi Silver and Bacardi Silver 03.

 

The new drink comes out just six months after the rollout of Bacardi Silver 03, an orange-flavoured variant of Bacardi Silver.

 

The decision to expand the range comes despite falling demand for maternatives in the US.  Sales account for about 2.6% of the beer market, however they are expected to dip more than 14% this year, Marlene Coulis, Anheuser-Busch’s chief of new products, said Monday.

 

That said, the market still remains attractive to A-B.  Bacardi Silver already has an estimated 24% of the spirit-branded segment of the malternative market, A-B said.

 

“We have seen other (spirit) brands continue to lose share as Bacardi Silver has grown share,” Coulis said.  “We feel we’re in a prime position to take advantage of capturing some of that additional volume.”

 

Bacardi Silver Raz will be backed by a TV ad campaign, which began yesterday.

 

Bacardi hopes that by adding new flavours it will continue to attract consumers to the brand.


 


5. Grey Goose Loses Appeal On Advertisements Claim

 4. Spirits Marketer Will Continue To Run the Ads Despite Ruling

DOW JONES NEWSWIRES

August 27, 2003

 

The National Advertising Review Board upheld an earlier decision that Sidney Frank Importing, owner of Grey Goose, discontinue a comparative reference to competitor Belvedere vodka, made by Millennium Import, in its print ads.

 

But the spirits marketer says it will continue to run the ads anyway, and a possible showdown looms.

 

NARB recognized Sidney Frank Importing's right to advertise that it was recognized as the "#1 tasting vodka" in a 1998 Beverage Testing Institute competition. However, it found the use of Belvedere's score to be an "unfair and inaccurate representation" of the competitor's product, because Belvedere has scored higher in subsequent BTI tests. The NARB decision affirmed a recommendation by the National Advertising Division of the Council of Better Business Bureaus.

 

The makers of Grey Goose said the decision was contrary to BTI policies, which don't permit advertisers to make comparisons between different taste tests. "Accordingly, given that BTI, not NARB, is the expert in taste testing vodkas, and that it is BTI's own rating that appears in the ad, Sidney Frank will continue to comply with BTI's policy and advertise the truthful and accurate results of the 1998 BTI taste test."

 

BTI said "certainly if there's more up-to-date information out there, and [the NAD and the NARB] feel it needs to be included, that makes sense.''

 

The NARB can choose to ask the Federal Trade Commission or the Bureau of Alcohol , Tobacco and Firearms to enforce its decision.

 


 


5. Diageo MD Defends Alcohol Marketer Efforts

BT Marketing & Media

August 28, 2003

DIAGEO Australia managing director John Pollaers has defended the alcohol marketing industry at the NSW Alcohol Summit calling for the Government and interest groups to work with the industry to address the problems of alcohol abuse.

Speaking at the summit being held this week Pollaers—who is also the chairman of the Distilled Spirits Industry Council of Australia—emphasised the steps that both Diageo and the DSICA has already undertaken to promote the responsible consumption of alcohol.

“We want to work with responsible community groups and government. We are part of the solution,” Pollaers said.

He said that one of the main areas that need to be addressed with an education strategy was the issue of standard drinks. He said there were major misconceptions about the alcohol content of different drinks especially in relation to ready to drink products which have come under fire because of their appeal to younger drinkers.

“An understanding of a standard drink is fundamental to all education about responsible consumption,’ Pollaers said.

“Recognising this my company without the need for pressure and regulation has developed a standard drink logo that we are putting on all out packaging to help consumers understand what a standard drink is,” he said.

“These are the types of things we need to do if we are to help consumers understand what they are drinking.”

He said the beer and spirits industries had implemented successful ongoing educational campaigns such as the “Rethinking drinking-you’re in control” campaign. Diageo recently launched an advertising campaign for its Smirnoff Ice product designed to promote a socially responsible message about drinking and driving.

Pollaers, who last week launched Diageo’s own Code of Marketing Practice for Alcoholic Beverages, said he agreed with the NSW Premier Bob Carr that the Alcoholic Beverages Code introduced by the industry in 1978 as part of a self-regulatory system needs to “move with the times”.

“That is a commitment we are prepared to make. Let us get behind it and continue to improve it, “ he said.





6. New Johnnie Walker Ad as Alcohol Debate Hots Up

BT Marketing & Media

August 27, 2003

AS alcohol marketers come under the most intense pressure ever scotch brand Johnnie Walker is this weekend launching a new campaign for its Johnnie Walker and Cola ready-to-drink product.

Johnnie Walker marketing director Ed Pilkington said the new campaign was an extension of previous ads which show the embarrassing consequences of men who want to be taken seriously, but who also want to hold onto their youth.

“We’re targeting men in their early to mid-20s who want to progress in life and are beginning to think about careers and relationships, but who still want to keep a hold on the fun things about being young,” Pilkington said
.

“The new executions pick up where ‘PC Game’ and ‘Wedding’ left off with some classic moments that will strike a chord with our core audience.”

As the week long alcohol summit continued Premier Bob Carr today again voiced strong criticism of the alcohol industry today calling for alcohol marketers to take more responsibility for the messages it conveys in its advertising and marketing communications.



7. Cleveland Found Guilty of Buying Alcohol for Minors

The IowaChannel.com

August 28, 2003

 

Felony Charge First in Pottawattamie County

 

COUNCIL BLUFFS, IOWA -  Tracy Cleveland was found guilty of 29 counts of providing alcohol to a minor and a felony charge of providing alcohol to a minor resulting in death.  A Pottawattamie County jury ruled Thursday in the case.

 

The jury convicted Cleveland of providing more than 200 servings of alcohol for tenagers at a house party in April.  Tyson McCain, 18, was killed after the party as he walked home.  He was hit by the car of another party-goer, Hillary Harrill, 20, as she drove home.

 

“I just want to say I didn’t mean any harm to their family,” said Cleveland after the verdict.  “I never meant for this to happen.”

 

The felony conviction is a first in Pottawattamie County.  Cleveland faces $160,000 in fines and possible jail time.

 


 

 

 

 

 

 


8. No Simplistic Solutions to Binging

By DI Editorial Board- The Daily Iowan

August 29, 2003

 

IOWA CITY - This week, a UI professor of community and behavioral health released yet another set of findings corroborating the widely held belief that the university has a disproportionate number of student binge drinkers.


However, before bestowing party-school status upon the school, serious scrutiny must be given to the definition of binging.


The definition of binge drinking as "the consumption of five or more drinks in one sitting for men and four or more for women at least once in a two week period" seems a bit draconian, if not overly generalized. The effects of five cocktails on a 150-pound woman, for example, are vastly different from the effects of the same on a 250-pound man.


A night on the town in Iowa City will show that a large number of students are consuming more than five drinks. Many students will have already reached this point before they enter the bars.


To curb the problem of over-indulgence, Peter Nathan, the professor in charge of the study, suggests only allowing patrons who are over the age of 21 into bars.

 

Though Nathan is most certainly an expert in the field, his 21-and-over mandate is shortsighted. Making the bars 21-only will likely increase the number of house parties. Though access may be a significant indicator of how much and how often students binge drink, a bottomless keg cup at a house party makes alcohol much more accessible than a night at the bars.


Binge drinking is a complex issue; indeed, a national epidemic. In one of the most extensive studies of college drinking, the Harvard School of Public Health found that, in 1999, 44 percent of the 14,000 students surveyed were binge drinkers.


So who's to blame? Is it the students, the lack of police manpower, or the ineffectiveness of the Stepping Up Project? None of the above. If there's any blame to place, it should be on American culture. We're bombarded with advertisements, music, television programs, and films that promote and glorify the wonders of drunkenness.


The issue of binge drinking is a force to be reckoned with and, as all indicators point, will continue to be in the future. While surveys and studies are productive means of assessing the problem, determining a solution will require feedback from all parties involved.

 

 


 

 

 


9. Start of Fall Classes Leads to More Alcohol Violations

Area law enforcement will work together to patrol this weekend's UNI football game
By Jolene Hull – Iowa State Daily

August 29, 2003

 
An influx in people and warm weather led to a large number of alcohol-related violations in the days before classes resumed for the semester.

ISU Police Capt. Gene Deisinger attributed the large number of alcohol-related violations to a number of factors.

"There are a lot more people back in town, and the weeks before classes start, you tend to see more activity in Campustown," he said. "Also, the weather's been nice and has encouraged people to get out more."

Deisinger added the large number of residents who are new to Ames and Iowa State and unaware of law enforcement agencies may also have contributed to the high number.

He said his team placed extra officers on duty this past weekend in patrol cars, bikes and on foot.

Ames Police Sgt. Mike Johns echoed Deisinger's sentiments.

"Any time we have [students] come back into the population, we see an increased amount of alcohol-related violations," he said.

Possession of alcohol under the legal age is a scheduled violation. First-time offenders face a fine of $147, which includes the scheduled fine, court costs and surcharges.

Public intoxication is a simple misdemeanor and requires a plea or appearance before a judge.

The maximum fine, depending on the judge's ruling, can range from $50 to $500 and/or up to thirty days in jail, Deisinger said.

Deisinger said the ISU Police will team up with the Ames Police Department and the Story County Sheriff's Office to patrol Iowa State's Saturday night football game against the University of Northern Iowa.

"We're maintaining a very similar level of staffing to what we have always had in the past [at the football games]," he said.

Deisinger advised those attending the game, especially new students who are still learning their way around, to arrive early and be patient with traffic flow.

"We hope they have a safe and enjoyable time," he said. "We encourage people to be respectful and those who choose to use alcohol, we hope they do so respectfully and be of age," Deisinger said.