Identification should always be demanded from potential under-age alcohol purchasers, said Hazel Blears, minister of state at the Home Office.
Speaking to The Grocer, Blears said: “Selling goods to under-age youngsters is sometimes the easy option. We are trying to change the culture so youngsters going into a shop know they will get challenged.
“We need to get a campaign up so that it is the norm for them to be asked for ID.” Blears
said existing schemes, such as PASS, needed more visibility. “Retailers tend to have only a small sticker alerting youngsters to the fact they operate the scheme,” she said.
The issue has been raised with ministerial colleagues at the Department of Health and Department of Culture, Media and Sport, said Blears. There was no specific timescale for introducing a campaign but retailers should fund any ‘No ID No Sale’ scheme, she added. “It
needs to be industry-led rather than a staid government approach. The retailers understand what works with the people who shop their stores.”
In September, The Grocer wrote to the minister to express readers’ concern that enforcement activities could become entrapment and that the police were not doing enough to help those suffering abuse after refusing to sell age-restricted products.
This week Blears said: “Your magazine has raised the profile of the issue and caused me to consider that it ought to be higher up the agenda.”
On-the-spot fines were starting to change behaviour, she said, while antisocial behaviour was a priority in November’s National Policing Plan.
Blears said the summer enforcement campaign found 32% of off-licences selling to under-18s, including major retail chains as well as independents. Blears said the Home Secretary had written to such companies.
>>p12 Training proposals
Spreading the government message that eating five portions of fruit and veg a day can help prevent cancer backfired drastically for Tesco. In what appeared to be a complete contradiction of the message from central government, Shropshire Trading Standards prosecuted the supermarket chain for printing the claims on its labelling. The case was dropped on Monday after Tesco agreed at a court hearing to amend its message and advise shoppers to eat five-a-day for “healthier living.”
Speaking to The Grocer, Blears said: “Selling goods to under-age youngsters is sometimes the easy option. We are trying to change the culture so youngsters going into a shop know they will get challenged.
“We need to get a campaign up so that it is the norm for them to be asked for ID.” Blears
said existing schemes, such as PASS, needed more visibility. “Retailers tend to have only a small sticker alerting youngsters to the fact they operate the scheme,” she said.
The issue has been raised with ministerial colleagues at the Department of Health and Department of Culture, Media and Sport, said Blears. There was no specific timescale for introducing a campaign but retailers should fund any ‘No ID No Sale’ scheme, she added. “It
needs to be industry-led rather than a staid government approach. The retailers understand what works with the people who shop their stores.”
In September, The Grocer wrote to the minister to express readers’ concern that enforcement activities could become entrapment and that the police were not doing enough to help those suffering abuse after refusing to sell age-restricted products.
This week Blears said: “Your magazine has raised the profile of the issue and caused me to consider that it ought to be higher up the agenda.”
On-the-spot fines were starting to change behaviour, she said, while antisocial behaviour was a priority in November’s National Policing Plan.
Blears said the summer enforcement campaign found 32% of off-licences selling to under-18s, including major retail chains as well as independents. Blears said the Home Secretary had written to such companies.
>>p12 Training proposals
Spreading the government message that eating five portions of fruit and veg a day can help prevent cancer backfired drastically for Tesco. In what appeared to be a complete contradiction of the message from central government, Shropshire Trading Standards prosecuted the supermarket chain for printing the claims on its labelling. The case was dropped on Monday after Tesco agreed at a court hearing to amend its message and advise shoppers to eat five-a-day for “healthier living.”
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