Johannesburg. 21 December 2017.
The South African Breweries (SAB) has established a Smart Drinking Squad who will take to the streets of South Africa and educate retailers and community members on more responsible consumption behaviour, and in turn help to reduce harm caused by the misuse of alcohol.
The Smart Drinking Squad is made up of 100 previously unemployed individuals from local communities in which SAB operates.
The campaign will run nationally from December and target licenced tavern owners, their patrons and local communities.
The Smart Drinking Squad will address the harmful use of alcohol through three campaigns and programmes.
- Training and application of the 8 responsible trading guidelines
- Harm reduction education and awareness campaigns
- Activation of the 18+ Be the Mentor programme
The squad will visit retailers educating them on the 8 responsible trading principles which includes:
- Trading responsibly in a way that will not cause harm to customers and the community.
- Not serving alcohol to pregnant women.
- Not serving alcohol to persons under the age of 18 and not allowing underage persons onto the premises.
- Not allowing customers who have had too much to drink to drive.
- Not serving alcohol to intoxicated customers.
- Not allowing illegal and dangerous substances such as drugs and weapons on the premises.
- Not to have the business cause a disturbance to the surrounds.
- Complying with licence conditions, including displaying a liquor licence on the premises, complying with trading hours and renewing the liquor licence annually.
The aim is to train 10 000 retailers in responsible trading over the next year.
On harm reduction and awareness campaigns, SAB has partnered with local NGOs and relevant organisations to identify specific areas of intervention required within communities.
SAB’s 18+ Be the Mentor programme is a call-to-action for adults to become role models in the fight against underage drinking. The Smart Drinking Squad will encourage mentorship of those under 18 years of age with a specific focus on ensuring that they do not engage in underage alcohol consumption. This programme was re-launched in June 2017 with the aim of getting more adults to sign up to become mentors.
“In a country where misuse of alcohol is prevalent, the need for interventions aimed at addressing this habit is pressing. SAB is investing in science-based programmes to advance positive social behaviour change and address harm reduction head-on.
“At SAB we believe that smart drinking choices affect everyone, every day. We are committed to helping foster a global culture of smart drinking to reduce the harmful use of alcohol. Our Smart Drinking Squad is a group of change agents and champions of responsible drinking,” says Nirishi Trikamjee, Corporate Affairs Director, SAB and AB InBev.
The Smart Drinking Squad is one of several initiatives SAB has developed as part of the organisation’s deep investment in initiatives that measurably shift social norms and behaviours to reduce the harmful use of alcohol.
Through its Global Smart Drinking Goals, AB InBev has committed to investing $1-billion USD across the world in dedicated social marketing campaigns and related programs by 2025 to promote Smart Drinking and foster a culture globally to reduce the harmful use of alcohol
“SAB recognises that in order to be effective in tackling the harmful use of alcohol, a holistic approach is necessary, one that touches customers and consumers of its products. The Smart Drinking Squad will work to incorporate all our initiatives focused on fighting harm to make a tangible impact on South African communities,” says Trikamjee.
For the latest SAB news, follow us on:
Twitter: @SABreweries
Facebook: SouthAfricanBreweries
LinkedIn: South African Breweries
Instagram: TheSABreweries
For further information contact Azure Janneker on 079 505 6966 or email Azure.Janneker@za.ab-inbev.com
