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New Zealand to Consider Limited Alcohol Content in Ready-to-Drink Bevs

AlcopopsNZ

New Zealand parliamentarian Phil Goff introduced an amendment that would limit the alcohol content of ready-to-drink alcoholic beverages to no more than 5% by volume, and no more than 1.5 standard drinks per bottle. The amendment would effectively eliminate the category of beverages known as supersized alcopops, and therefore "significantly reduce the level of alcohol consumed by young people, and the resultant degree of intoxication." The measure would be the first of its kind to address the dangers that alcopops pose to New Zealand youth, 43% of which reported drinking a ready-to-drink alcopop in their last drinking occasion.  According to Goff, the amendment is a necessary step to curtail the excessive product manufacturing aimed at youth because "the industry has had years to self-regulate. It hasn’t, and it won’t. It’s like putting the fox in charge of the hen house."