Reduced consumption of supermarket alcohol, tobacco, gambling, and confectionery would be unequivocally good for the UK economy

About this episode

The episode discusses the economic benefits of reducing spending on unhealthy products like alcohol, tobacco, and gambling in the UK.

On this month’s podcast we spoke to Dr Damon Morris, Research Fellow at the Sheffield Addictions Research Group, about his latest paper that looked at the economic impact of a reduction in spending on unhealthy products. The research has dealt a significant blow to the alcohol, tobacco, and gambling industries’ core economic argument against regulation, finding that the sector’s claims that reduced consumption would harm the economy and cost jobs do not stand up to scrutiny when the full picture of consumer spending is considered. The study, by the Sheffield Addictions Research Group (SARG), modelled how a 10% reduction in consumer spending on alcohol, tobacco, gambling, and confectionery would flow to different sectors in the UK economy, finding significant benefits to the UK economy if spending moves to more productive industries. This was particularly the case for spending on off-trade alcohol, tobacco, and gambling, as money spent on these industries often leaves the country – to global supply chains and international headquarters. Therefore, any reallocation of spending to other industries will keep more money in the UK economy and be a net positive. For on-trade alcohol…

People in this episode

Host: Institute of Alcohol Studies

Guest: Dr Damon Morris

Topics covered

• economic impact
• alcohol consumption
• tobacco regulation
• gambling industry
• consumer spending
• public health

Keywords

• economic impact
• alcohol
• tobacco
• gambling
• consumer spending
• public health
• UK economy

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Sheffield Addictions Research Group, Institute of Alcohol Studies

Places: UK

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