Tuesday, April 13, 2021 www.nabca.org

• AL: Gov. Kay Ivey signs alcohol delivery bill into law • CT: Alcohol Awareness Month Serving Up Critical Health Advisories • United Kingdom: Supermarkets in talks to trial age estimation technology for buying alcohol later TODAY’S this year HIGHLIGHTS • Alcohol consumption is the sole cause of 85,000 deaths annually in the Americas, PAHO/WHO study finds • These Are the 50 U.S. Craft Brewers That Sold the Most Beer in 2020 • Innovations in Alcohol Detection Technology to be Explored on Advancements Series

ALCOHOL AWARENESS MONTH Sharing Solutions E-Newsletter! A platform for the NABCA community to share successful UPCOMING EVENTS implementations and lessons learned about your good work. Webinar: TTB Explains Federal Alcohol Beverage Advertising Regulations TTB NEWS April 20, 2021 at 2 PM EST You can now find all of TTB’s COVID-19-related news Click here for more details. and guidance in a single location.

NABCA's 84th ANNUAL CONFERENCE ADDITIONAL LINKS Registration is now open for the 84th Annual Conference which is virtual this year. Visit NABCA’s website for information on: The conference will be held May 17-19, 2021. This • Control State Agency Information year’s theme is SHARING SOLUTIONS. • Doing Business in Control States Click here for more details. • NABCA News For questions, contact the Meetings Department at [email protected]. CONTROL STATE NEWS Beverage Alcohol Retailers Conference AL: Gov. Kay Ivey signs alcohol delivery bill into June 7-9, 2021 law UT Austin ATT Conference Center, Texas Click here for more details. AL.com By Shauna Stuart April 12, 2021 NABCA NEWS Alabamians will be able to order alcohol for delivery Visit NABCA’s COVID-19 Resource page for updates to their homes starting this fall. regarding policy changes that effect on- and off- Gov. Kay Ivey on Monday signed S.B. 126 into law, a premise retail operations. bill that would allow licensed businesses in the state The Collection: An Alcohol Research Summary to deliver sealed containers of beer, wine, and spirits (formerly Annotated Bibliography) A comprehensive to patrons’ homes. overview of the latest scientific evidence on important topics related to alcohol policy. The law officially goes into effect Oct. 1. Under the law, qualified businesses interested in delivering alcohol would have to file an application with the

2

Alcoholic Beverage Control Board and pay a non- to expand that service into Alabama, including refundable filing fee of $100 and a $250 license fee. Instacart, Waitr, Postmates, and Birmingham-based Businesses could use either their employees or third Shipt. party contractors to deliver alcohol. Potential “Consumers across Alabama depend on Shipt to get qualified businesses include grocery stores, their groceries and household essentials delivered, independent package stores, wineries, distilleries, and soon they’ll be able to count on Shipt for delivery breweries, and restaurants. of their beer, wine and spirits too,” Shipt S.B. 126 lists a number of provisions for alcohol spokesperson Evangeline George said in an email deliveries. Businesses would be limited to a 75-mile statement. “This law brings more convenience for delivery radius and may only deliver alcoholic customers, expands work opportunities for shoppers, beverages during hours when alcohol may be legally and drives business for retailers across the state – all sold. All orders must be delivered to customers within while putting safety first with rules to help ensure 24 hours. Customers will also have a limit on the deliveries with alcohol are made only to adults of amount of alcoholic beverages they can order in a 24- legal drinking age. We thank Governor Ivey and the hour window: Alabama Legislature for their support in expanding delivery options across the state while prioritizing • Beer (with the exception of draft beer) may not safety.” exceed the equivalent of 120, 12-ounce containers of beer per customer. What’s next? • Draft beer may be sold in accordance with ABC Now that the bill has been signed into law, the hefty Board rules and may not exceed 288 ounces per legwork from Alabama Beverage Control Board customer. begins. Over the next few months, the ABC Board and employees will get to work crafting regulations and • Wine may be sold in any size container, provided policies to help potential licensees understand their the total amount delivered does not exceed 9,000 rights and responsibilities under the new law. One of milliliters per customer. those line items includes creating a new third-party • Spirits may be sold in any size bottle, provided the delivery license. total amount delivered does not exceed 9,000 But will alcohol delivery be restricted to private milliliters per customer. businesses, or will the state-run ABC stores also • Restaurants, however, may not exceed 375 participate? milliliters per customer. All alcohol deliveries Under the official language of the Code of Alabama, from restaurants must also be accompanied by a “licensees” are private entities licensed by the ABC meal. Board to manufacture, distribute, or sell alcohol in Also, delivery drivers must be at least 21-years-old, the state. have a valid driver’s license, and pass a background Since ABC stores are businesses governed by ABC check and an alcohol delivery training program. Board and are not “licensed” by the board, the Customers ordering alcohol would have to provide a Alabama ABC will spend the next few months valid I.D. to delivery businesses and an adult over 21 examining the factors of home delivery and make a would be required to sign for the alcohol delivery. The decision “that is in the best interest of the citizens of bill would also require businesses to have scanning the state,” ABC Board Government Relations technology or an ABC Board-approved alternative Manager Dean Argo explained to AL.com in an email. that would be able to verify customer identification. In the meantime, businesses interested in entering Under the law, delivery service providers must return the world of alcohol delivery should start accessing alcoholic beverages to the retailer if the intended the landscape. The law requires businesses who plan recipient is under the age of 21, appears intoxicated, to use third party delivery to provide the ABC Board or fails to provide valid proof of identification. with a sample contract outlining their agreement with Delivery drivers may not deliver to college residence the delivery service. halls. The law also requires businesses to provide an outline The new law opens up the opportunity for national for an employee alcohol delivery training program— companies that already deliver alcohol in other states 3

one that addresses a number of topics including House Bill 2025, known as an economic development identifying underage individuals and recognizing fake initiative, will allow craft breweries, wineries, and and altered forms of identification. distilleries to compete with out-of-state rivals in direct shipment to customers, no matter where they Many national delivery services already have such a live. program in place. Evangeline George says Shipt will spend the coming months working with its shoppers “ Last year, during COVID the governor lifted some of and retailers to prepare for the launch of alcohol the restrictions letting bars and restaurants sell delivery, including training shoppers who wish to alcohol to go in bottles of liquor and cans of beer. deliver orders containing alcohol. Over the past year we hadn’t seen any major problems, so we wanted to make them permanent,” Ben Williams, the proprietor of The TakeOut Bham, a said Delegate Kayla Young (D-Kanawha). “We looked local restaurant delivery platform, said he has a at all the alcohol laws. Most of them hadn’t been cursory interest in expanding to include alcohol updated since the 1930s. We brought them up to delivery. His plan is to get feedback from other speed.” independent businesses who are currently providing alcohol delivery. One option sticking around that was introduced during the pandemic is one for West Virginians to Attorney Jaci Flug, General Counsel and Senior Vice have beer and wine delivered to their homes. President at the alcohol e-commerce platform Drizly, said retailers considering alcohol delivery programs Licensed restaurants and bars could ship beer and should begin assessing a number of aspects, including wine, as long as they accompany take-out food their best selling alcoholic beverages and whether to orders. establish point of sale factors such as delivery Continued delivery or pickup of alcoholic drinks with minimums. food orders is also part of the legislation. Consumers should know what businesses are allowed “When you order from Uber Eats or Grubb Hubb, to deliver alcohol. The Alabama law passed Monday you’ll be able to get drinks delivered. Whether you is less restrictive than the Georgia home delivery law get like a six-pack beer or get a craft cocktail growler passed in 2020 which prohibits breweries, distilleries, or a wine growler, you’ll be able to get those and wineries from delivering their products. delivered with a food purchase,” Young said. “ It’s Another alcohol delivery bill is currently in session. going to keep people off the roads from drinking and Sponsored by Rep. Terri Collins ( R-Decatur), H.B. 437 driving because they’ll be getting things delivered to would allow wine manufacturers to apply for a wine their house, so it’ll keep people safe.” direct shipper license from the Alcoholic Beverage Businesses must verify that the purchaser is at least Control Board to ship their products directly to 21 years old and that the person is not intoxicated. Alabama residents who are at least 21-years-old. The bill is awaiting its third reading in the Senate. Counties can begin serving alcohol for brunches at 6 a.m. instead of the current 10 a.m.

“Where some people might see it as an alcohol bill, W.Va. alcohol law changes provide more options on but to me, I see it as an economic freedom bill. This is tap, curbside and carryout the freedom for the consumer to purchase how they WSAZ.com want, when they want, and for the freedom of the By Kimberly Keagy business to have more opportunities to sell to April 12, 2021 consumers,” McKay said. CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WSAZ) - New alcohol laws in The changes will become effective May 10. West Virginia are making it easier to buy alcohol in stores and on the go. “It’s a step in the right direction. It moves West Virginia forward,“ Young said. “We need more ways to sell to consumers in ways they wanted,” said Jeff McKay, owner of Summit Beer Station. “This will provide the industry momentum for VA: Virginians are buying more alcohol. A new tool success once we leave the pandemic.” aims to spot the potential for misuse 4

The Roanoke Times prevents the risky drinking turning into abuse or By Luanne Rife hazardous drinking.” April 12, 2021 Carilion Clinic psychiatrist Dr. Anita Kablinger Do you drink alcohol? How often? How many drinks collaborated on the testing of the tool. About 300 would you say you have a day? A week? A month? patients who agreed to the screening were enrolled. Ever binge drink? The tool gave their physicians a score indicating if If you are being quizzed by a doctor while sitting in a they were possibly misusing alcohol. Their medical sterile room and naked under a gown, would you records were looked at before and after they were fudge the answers? screened to see if there were any visits in which alcohol played a role, such as a fall that sent someone Sara Snider, founder of BEAM Diagnostics, thinks to the emergency department. those types of questions, or long paper-and-pen forms asking directly about alcohol use, are posed in “They found that it was 87% predictive or accurate such a stigmatizing way that people are when you were predicting mild, moderate or severe uncomfortable answering truthfully. alcohol use disorder,” Kablinger said. “The interesting part is that with these patients, they looked at their What if instead you were asked, perhaps on the medical records six months before they completed comfort of your own phone, if you’d prefer $50 now this application and six months after, and it looks like or $100 in a week, or how many drinks you’d the app predicted about 12% of the 300 patients purchase if they cost $1, how many if they cost $10? would meet criteria for alcohol use disorder, but in Snider has developed a quick assessment tool that the charts that was only about 4%.” does not ask people how much they drink, but scores Kablinger said that difference would prevent missed their answers so that physicians can better figure out opportunities by physicians to find and help people if patients are misusing alcohol. The electronic app who are misusing alcohol. She said the tool will prove has been under development since 2017, thanks to a helpful as primary care physicians begin to deal with National Institutes of Health transfer grant aimed at the fallout from the pandemic. taking discoveries out of labs and into medical practices. With increased alcohol sales during the “This is coming at a time that is kind of fortuitous, pandemic, developers think the tool will help although we started about three years ago,” physicians figure out which of their patients might Kaplinger said. “During COVID, alcohol use is only now have problems with misuse. increasing.” The premise is based on the behavioral economics “We have seen an increase in addictive behaviors theories studied in Warren Bickel’s lab at the Virginia pretty much across the spectrum,” said Dr. Bob Tech Fralin Biomedical Research Institute in Roanoke, Trestman, chair of behavioral health at Carilion. where Snider was a senior research associate. Bickel “Since the beginning of the pandemic, as you know is BEAM’s senior scientific director. painfully, opioid use has gone up, as has methamphetamine. People are smoking more The tool scores patients’ potential for misusing cigarettes. They have gained weight through much alcohol based on questions that rate how impulsive more eating. The national average is two pounds they are and the value they place on drinking. increase a month. Certainly there is an increase in “We are leveraging some excellent research based on alcohol and alcohol content and the consequences of behavioral economics that asks the person to make a inappropriate alcohol use.” decision about a small amount of money now or a The Virginia Alcohol Control Board sold $1.26 billion large amount of money later,” Snider said. “That may worth of liquor in 2020 — or $200 million more than seem like a benign type of question, but in fact we can 2019 — during a time that sales to bars and predict an individual’s likelihood of severity of alcohol restaurants dropped by $70 million. ABC store sales misuse from those questions and output a score for shot up the first month of the pandemic in Virginia to the doctor to be able to better understand where that $97 million, about $27 million more than March 2019. patient is and connect them with referral to That trend was seen throughout the year, even as treatment or preventative services much more restaurants reopened. December store sales were quickly because the earlier we’re screening patients it $26 million over the same month in 2019. 5

Trestman said people have difficulties talking about “COVID has increased anxiety levels and depression misuse of alcohol. levels, not just in adults but also in teens especially,” said Taylor. ”Nobody likes to feel anxious. Nobody “There can be real advantages to questionnaires, wants to be depressed. Nobody wants to be unsure even when people know that this is intended to of themselves, and so it's human nature sometimes assess their illness or their risk of alcohol misuse, that kids will begin to try to self medicate.” when the questions aren’t as obvious,” he said. The BEAM tool is also quick. Talk It Out NC introduced a speaker series called 'Talk It Out Tuesday' where experts present data and “We’re always looking for more effective and efficient information to encourage parents to start those hard ways to gather information to help in decision conversations with their teens. Taylor says waiting making. And if we can automate and enhance the until kids are in high school to talk about alcohol is too speed and efficiency of asking questions using late – by age 14 the average child in North Carolina technology, that’s always going to be better,” he said. has already had their first drink. “But part of our challenge is then what’s the next step? It’s an important, critical first step to screen “We understand wholeheartedly that scare tactics people. But if we see a problem but then we can’t don't work,” Taylor said. “It's not like I'm trying to say refer them for treatment, that’s also a problem.” 'Look don't do this because look what happened to me,' that's not the message we're sending. We're very Trestman said that Carilion, as with many other simply equipping both adults and youth with accurate health systems, is expanding behavioral health information.” capacity knowing that many problems have developed during the pandemic. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse in 2020, over 20% of 8th graders admitted to using Snider said she is hoping that BEAM’s tool can help alcohol in the past year and by age 15 half of teens uncover problems. The validation part has finished, have tried it. and she said BEAM is now working with health systems and providers to put it to use in their Taylor had his first experience with alcohol younger practices. than most at age 12. He's been sober for 18 years now and says he's blessed to have been able to go back to “We’re excited about really helping health care school, start a business, become a father and now be providers and patients in the region get screened for an ambassador for change, as well as the executive alcohol misuse and prevent the progression,” Snider director of the Alcohol Drug Council of North Carolina. said. “As a local startup company, we’re helping to translate that mission from the research laboratory “None of us need judgment,” Taylor said. “Judgment into the real world by implementing a tool that could does not promote healing. Criminalizing substance be really helpful.” use disorder or looking down our nose and thinking that we're better than - that's not helping anybody.”

NC: "Hope for the future": This group is fighting to He knows firsthand the damage underage drinking end underage drinking can do in someone's life, and his goal is that by sharing his journey he may save someone else from a Spectrum News 1 life of alcohol addiction. By Rachel Boyd Wilmington April 12, 2021 “I felt like it's been my obligation to instill in these kids hope for the future, encouraging them to make wise WILMINGTON, N.C. – Talk It Out NC started a new and healthy decisions to the best of their ability,” said initiative in March that goes along with their mission Taylor. to end underage drinking. The organization already partners with recovering LICENSE STATE NEWS alcoholics all across the state, like Kurtis Taylor. They share their stories about turning their lives around, CT: Alcohol Awareness Month Serving Up Critical but after seeing an increase in teenage drinking with Health Advisories the pandemic, they began looking for a new The Newtown Bee approach. April 12, 2021 6

BRIDGEPORT — The Hub: Behavioral Health Action Access the free screening tool at alcoholscreening.org Organization for Southwestern Connecticut, a to see if your behavior is considered at risk of division of the Regional Youth Adult Social Action developing an AUD. This doesn’t replace a Partnership (RYASAP) is working overtime throughout professional opinion, however. April — Alcohol Awareness Month — reminding Want To Cut Down? residents about the risks and harms when casual social consumption turns into binge drinking. If you recognize, or identify through screening, that you may be drinking too much, the website also offers According to a 2019 study from National Institute on a rich selection of resources. Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, almost 15 million Americans have an alcohol use disorder (AUD). AUD Some strategies for reducing the potential harm of is a medical condition characterized by an impaired drinking alcohol include: ability to stop or control alcohol use and can be mild, *Knowing what a standard drink is. This way you can moderate, or severe. understand exactly how much alcohol you are In Connecticut, alcohol consumption is higher than consuming. the national average — and consumption in *Keeping track of your drinking. There are many ways southwestern Connecticut is higher than the state to do this, so use the method that works best for you and national average. Binge drinking rates are also — take notes in your phone, carry a drinking tracker higher in southwestern Connecticut than the national card in your wallet, mark on a calendar on the fridge, average. etc. Making note of each drink before you drink it It is also clear that examples being set by adults are raises your awareness of how much you drink and making a negative impression, especially more how automatically you drink, and may help you slow locally. Nationally and elsewhere in Connecticut, 30% down when needed. of teens reported using alcohol in the previous 30 *Understanding just how much alcohol you are days; in southwestern Connecticut, that number consuming. Measure the amount of alcohol in drinks jumps to 50% of teens reporting alcohol use in the at home. Away from home, it can be difficult to keep same period of time. track. Mixed drinks often have more alcohol than you On the other hand, self-awareness about excessive think. You may need to ask the host or server not to drinking seems to be growing, with a recent survey “top off” a partially filled glass of wine or to give you revealing that 8% to 10% of residents in the region water in between servings. feel the need to cut down on alcohol consumption. *Planning your alcohol intake. Decide how many days As far as the CDC is concerned, about 90% of people a week you want to drink and how many drinks you who drink heavily don’t meet the diagnostic criteria will have on those days. It is a good idea to have some of an AUD. days when you do not drink. People who abstain at least a couple of days a week tend to be the most Signs of an AUD include: successful at moderated drinking. Individuals who *Inability to limit drinking; stay within the low-risk limits when they drink have the lowest rates of alcohol-related problems. *Continuing to drink despite personal or professional problems; *Developing or revisiting healthy activities, hobbies, and relationships. If you have relied on alcohol to be *Needing to drink more to get the same effect; and more comfortable in social situations, manage *Wanting a drink so badly you can not think of moods, or cope with problems, then find other anything else. healthy ways to deal with those areas of your life. People who fail to meet the criteria of an AUD may *Acknowledging triggers. Certain people, places, or still have a problematic relationship with alcohol. If activities may prompt you to drink even when you do alcohol begins to interfere with your personal or not want to. Especially at the start of changing your professional life, relationships, or how you think and drinking, try to avoid them. If certain activities, times feel, it is time to consult a professional. of day, or feelings trigger the urge to drink, plan something else to do instead of drinking. If drinking at home is a problem, keep little or no alcohol there. 7

*Disarming triggers. When you cannot avoid a trigger of effective policies that can significantly reduce and an urge hits, remind yourself of your reasons for alcohol-related health harm across the Region. changing (it can help to carry them in writing or on a The event marks the launch of the SAFER WHO note in your phone). Or talk things through with European Region initiative, which is aimed at someone you trust. Or get involved with a healthy, supporting Member States to implement measures in distracting activity, such as physical exercise or a the following 5 high-impact action areas: hobby that doesn’t involve drinking. Or, instead of fighting the feeling, accept it and ride it out without • strengthening restrictions on alcohol availability; giving in, knowing that it will soon crest like a wave • advancing and enforcing drink–driving and pass. countermeasures; *Having your “No, thanks” ready. You are likely to be • facilitating access to screening, brief offered a drink at a time when you don’t want one. interventions and treatment; The faster you can politely, convincingly say no to these offers, the less likely you are to give in. If you • enforcing bans or comprehensive restrictions on hesitate, it allows you time to think of excuses to go alcohol advertising, sponsorship and promotion; along. • raising prices on alcohol through excise taxes For referrals, support, or more information, visit The and pricing policies. Hub online at thehubct.org. Confirmed speakers • Oleg Salagay, Deputy Minister, Ministry of INTERNATIONAL NEWS Healthcare of the Russian Federation Europe: Virtual launch of new WHO report on • Nino Berdzuli, Director, Division of Country alcohol control policies Health Programmes, WHO/Europe World Health Organization • Carina Ferreira-Borges, ad interim Head of the April 2021 WHO European Office for the Prevention and 15 April 2021, 13:00–15:45 Central European Control of Noncommunicable Diseases; and Summer Time (CEST) - WHO/Europe will hold a virtual Programme Manager, Alcohol and Illicit Drugs, meeting to launch the report “Making the WHO WHO/Europe European Region SAFER. Developments in alcohol • Maristela Monteiro, Senior Advisor on Alcohol control policies, 2010–2019” (English and Russian and Substance Abuse, Pan American Health language versions). The report presents new data on Organization (PAHO) alcohol-attributable harms and the implementation of alcohol control policies in 51 countries of the WHO • Dag Rekve, Senior Technical Officer, WHO European Region. • Katja Čič, Project Associate, International Youth The launch event is open for registration and will Health Organization bring together policy-makers, scientists, journalists • Mariann Skar, Secretary General, European and the general public. Alcohol Policy Alliance (Eurocare) Alcohol control: new findings • Kristina Sperkova, President, Movendi According to the report’s findings, although the WHO International European Region has experienced an overall decrease Working languages in alcohol consumption levels, this trend is associated The working languages of the meeting will be English only with the progress achieved by a limited number and Russian. Simultaneous translation will be of countries, mainly from the eastern part of the provided. Region. Western Europe, including the European Union, has made little or no progress in this direction. Launch event timeline During the 15 April online launch, the authors of the 13:00–15:00 Presentation of SAFER report and launch report will present their findings and give an overview of SAFER WHO European Region initiative

8

15:00–15:15 Break When asked if Yoti planned for its technology to be trialled in the majority of the UK’s household 15:15–15:45 Q&A session for media supermarket names this year, he said he How to register “wholeheartedly hoped that [would happen],” The online event is open for registration. To sign up, though pointed out it would depend on the retailer, please use the following link. police and the local authority. How Yoti’s technology works

United Kingdom: Supermarkets in talks to trial age Customers buying alcohol in supermarkets using self- estimation technology for buying alcohol later this checkouts that support Yoti’s age estimation year technology during the trials can consent to the The UK’s biggest supermarkets are in talks to pilot age camera embedded in the checkout analysing their estimation technology to sell alcohol, i can reveal face to confirm they’re over a certain age. While retailers can determine the age, the Retail of Alcohol iNews Standards Group requires retailers to check whether By Rhiannon Williams, Technology Correspondent customers appear 25 or over. April 13, 2021 Yoti’s facial analysis system, which cannot link a face The UK’s major supermarkets are in talks to trial age to an identity, uses an AI-powered algorithm trained estimation technology as part of a Government to check the age of faces with an average accuracy of programme starting later this year, the British 2.2 years, rising to one and a half years among company behind the software has confirmed. younger people aged 16 to 20. Yoti, a digital identity platform used by the NHS, Post If the customer agrees, the checkout will take a photo Office, Virgin Atlantic and the Jersey government, has of their face. The software works to approximate developed age estimation technology it claims is the their age and the image is automatically deleted. Yoti most accurate in the world. claims the only data shared with the retailer is the age The Home Office invited retailers, bars and check and that a human will never see the picture. restaurants to propose digital methods of checking If the system determines the customer looks younger customers’ ages while purchasing alcohol in a pilot than the set age, they have the option to share their scheme launched last month, in the hopes of starting birth of date anonymously with the system via Yoti’s in-store trials in the summer. smartphone app by scanning a QR code on the Facial analysis – which is not the same as facial terminal’s screen. recognition – is just one of the technologies retailers Alternatively, customers can wait for store approval could adopt more widely to crack down on aggression from a human assistant. Yoti is hoping to provide and abuse directed at human staff, as refusing extra staff when the trials go live “to support the underage customers alcohol is an often-cited reason customers in their journey”. for threats and abuse, according to the British Retail Consortium. “We’re working full days on this at the moment and while I can’t say who’s going to go first, we’ve had Yoti is in talks with the UK’s top 10 largest retailers some good conversations with our partners we’ve and a number of e-commerce and convenience stores been working with over the past five years,” he told i. about providing their software in self-checkouts for the ‘alcohol sandbox’ trials, which require applicants A Sainsbury’s spokesperson confirmed that while the to work with their local licensing authorities to ensure technology was something the company was looking the pilots are both safe and legal, according to John at, “it’s a bit too early for us to say what our Abbott, the company’s chief business officer. involvement might be”. While Mr Abbott would not be drawn on the exact A spokesperson for Waitrose said: “We don’t have participating retailers, Yoti is partners with NCR, an any immediate plans this year to introduce age American company that manufactures self-checkouts verification technology but we are monitoring used by Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda and Morrisons, developments in the industry.” among others. 9

Yoti held trials with two of the big four supermarkets “These trials are toe-in-the-water stuff, there’s no (Asda, Tesco, Morrisons and Sainsburys) “behind guarantee that anything will be implemented, but closed doors” in 2017, and had a public pilot planned what everyone’s after is a common standard that’s with a “leading UK retailer” for 2020 that was pushed independently administered and that any technology back because of the pandemic. Similarly, a large-scale company can build for, providing they meet the trial with a major US customer ran successfully until it standard.” was forced to shut because of the pandemic. Supermarket trials Privacy preservation Yoti’s age estimation and facial analysis technology is The Home Office pilots are a good opportunity for the most accurate Tony Allen, chair of the Expert Yoti to showcase how facial analysis can be deployed Panel on Age Restrictions at the Office for Product in an ethical, fully-inclusive way that preserves Safety and Standards, which has partnered with the privacy, Mr Abbott said. Home Office on the scheme, and chief executive of Age Check Certification Scheme, has seen. “Getting it wrong as a business in our industry is pretty terminal, so we’ve invested hugely in making “The big retail companies are all looking at age this a government-grade service that prevents the verification technology very carefully,” he told i. unnecessary sharing of information and doesn’t “We’ve had a lot of discussions with them. You can create repositories of people’s age data,” he added. expect that the top 10 supermarkets will run some sort of trial in their businesses – some of them may While the Home Office trials will require humans to well run multiple trials of different technologies in check participants’ ages as usual in addition to the different locations. technology to abide by the current law, many retailers have been pushing for wider adoption of “All these trials are about those businesses finding digital age verification systems for years, according to out how customers react, how customers react to the British Retail Consortium (BRC), the trade things like having their face scanned – some may not association for all UK retailers. want it, in which case supermarkets aren’t going to do things that their customers don’t like.” “The major advantage from a retailer’s point of view is that these kinds of systems lead to less aggression Some retailers may have been reluctant to embrace and abuse towards supermarket workers when age verification and facial analysis as quickly as some underage people are refused alcohol,” a BRC people in their organisation might have wanted them spokesperson told i. to because of concerns likening the software to controversial facial recognition, Mr Abbott said. “They feel it’s a machine saying ‘you can’t buy this’ rather than a shopworker. “We [the BRC] also think “This isn’t because they didn’t understand how it when shop staff are undertaking a legal obligation, works, but just they didn’t want to be sort of caught they should have some extra protection. it seems up in that sort of mismatch,” he explained. unfair not to give them the fullest possible support to “We do invest a lot of time in differentiating between deter the issue of violence.” anonymous age estimation and facial recognition. I Every day more than 400 retail staff are attacked, fully appreciate that for Joe Public that can be lost threatened, or abused in their place of work, with when you’re looking at someone’s face, so feedback challenging young people for ID a common reason for and engaging with that is key. abuse. Two-thirds of retailers surveyed by the BRC in “We have a coined phrase that ‘Yoti always forgets a February said there had been an increase in the face’. This is not mass surveillance, there’s not van number of incidents of physical violence against staff during the current lockdown. outside with a big spinning satellite on top. When we trialed in the US over four months, one person had a “Retailers have been pushing for age verification concern. technology for years because it’s helpful, cheaper and easier than a human checking a person’s age,” the “Among retailers, everyone really, really wants to be spokesperson added. second. Once the first wave of retailers are up and

10

running, I think there’ll be a lot more confidence in feasible and sustainable interventions, policies and attempting to explain the difference [between facial programs to reduce the consumption of alcohol.” analysis and recognition] without having to make The newly released analysis of mortality data in 30 showing your face a dirty word.” countries of the Americas – the largest of its kind “The alcohol sandbox is not about trialling any sort of conducted in the region – reveals the following key facial recognition technology,” Stuart Craig-Lau, findings: Alcohol Policy Manager at the Home Office told i. • An average 85,032 deaths (1.4% of total) annually “This is about age estimation for alcohol sales, no were solely attributable to alcohol. other information about an individual will be • The majority of deaths (64.9%) occurred in available through use of this technology.” people aged less than 60 years “This sandbox provides an opportunity for industry • The causes of death were mainly due to liver standards approved by the Age Check Certification disease (63.9%) and neuropsychiatric disorders Service to be tested in a small, controlled (27.4%), such as alcohol dependence. environment as part of the development process before final approval is sought from the British • Alcohol consumption is a contributing factor in Standards Institute. more than 300,000 (5.5% of total) deaths annually in the Americas. “This will provide confidence that sufficient protections for personal information are in place • More men than women died from drinking, and when technology is used for age assurance men accounted for 83.1% of deaths solely purposes.” attributable to alcohol consumption. The greatest gender disparities were in El Salvador and Belize, PUBLIC HEALTH NEWS while this gap was smallest in the U.S. and Canada. Alcohol consumption is the sole cause of 85,000 • About 80% of the deaths in which alcohol was a deaths annually in the Americas, PAHO/WHO study “necessary cause” occurred in three of the most finds populated countries: the United States (36.9%), Drinking contributes to more than 300,000 deaths every Brazil (24.8%) and Mexico (18.4%). year. PAHO urges countries in the Americas to limit hours of alcohol sales, ban alcohol advertising, and increase • The rates of alcohol-attributable mortality were taxes on alcohol. highest in Nicaragua (23.2 per 100,000 people) Pan American Health Organization and Guatemala (19 per 100,000), even though April 12, 2021 these countries have relatively lower per capita alcohol consumption. Washington, D.C., April 12, 2021 (PAHO) Alcohol consumption was responsible for an average 85,000 The study indicates that high-income countries have deaths annually during the period 2013 to 2015 in the higher per capita alcohol consumption while low- and Americas, where per capita consumption is 25% middle-income countries have a higher rate of higher than the global average, according to a study alcohol-attributable mortality for the same level of undertaken by the Pan American Health drinking. The higher mortality rates are likely due to Organization/WHO and published today in the journal comparatively poorer access to medical services, Addiction. health information, and good nutrition as well as limited transportation in emergency situations and “This study demonstrates that harmful use of alcohol other factors that could make drinking more harmful. in the Americas is a major public health priority,” said PAHO urges countries in the Americas to curb harmful Dr. Anselm Hennis, director of PAHO’s Department of alcohol consumption by increasing taxes on alcohol Noncommunicable Diseases and Mental Health. “It is associated with preventable deaths and many years and implementing comprehensive restrictions on of life lived with a disability. We need effective, alcohol advertising, promotion and sponsorship. Improving the quality of data on alcohol mortality and

11

morbidity is critical for monitoring the impact of and wineries had to adapt quickly or face financial alcohol consumption. ruin. “The policies promoted by PAHO are the key to They adapted beautifully. Market analysts had preventing death, diseases and social problems predicted that wine would be stagnant before the related to alcohol,” Dr. Hennis said. “Another simple pandemic began and expected the worst once but powerful measure is to limit the hours of alcohol businesses started shutting down. Instead, the sales and reduce the concentration of outlets that sell numbers show that sales increased in both volume alcohol in a community.” and value. Wineries showed incredible creativity in finding ways to reach consumers. An industry that Dr. Maristela Monteiro, PAHO’s senior advisor on had remained stubbornly old-school shifted to digital alcohol, said, “The study demonstrates that the sales in a big way. greatest proportion of deaths fully attributable to alcohol consumption are occurring prematurely The big question for 2021 is, will it last? among people between the ages of 50 and 59, and When the shutdowns began, the old way of selling mostly among men. Harmful use of alcohol is killing wine went out the window. The primary sales people in the prime of their lives. This is a loss not only channels for many small wineries were restaurants for their families but also for the economy and the and tasting rooms. Both were suddenly closed. While larger society.” direct-to-consumer (DtC) sales from wineries have During the COVID-19 pandemic, alcohol has been risen dramatically since a 2005 Supreme Court promoted through social media channels and its decision opened most states to direct shipping, the availability has increased in many countries due to majority of online sales were rooted in the tasting easier access to online purchases and home delivery. room; consumers visited the winery, liked what they There is evidence that the people most likely to tried, and joined the wine club. increase their alcohol consumption were already “E-commerce has been kind of an afterthought to drinking excessively before the pandemic. In addition, most wineries,” says Paul Mabray, CEO at Pix and a venues that sell alcohol, such as bars and nightclubs, digital sales specialist. “Why do it? Sales have been are attracting crowds who neither wear masks nor increasing every year as people spend more in the practice social distancing. tasting room.” But with that model out the window, “As we begin to plan a return to a ‘new normal’, wineries had to reach out to consumers by phone, alcohol policies must be protected and email and new tactics like virtual tastings. Zoom strengthened,” Dr. Monteiro said. became the new tasting room. And it worked. According to industry analyst Sovos Ship Compliant, INDUSTRY NEWS wineries shipped more than 8.39 million cases of wine in 2020, a 27 percent increase on 2019. Consumers, Home Wine Deliveries Keep on Truckin' stuck at home and not spending money on dining out Wineries got savvy to online marketing in 2020 during the or taking trips, were eager to stock their bars. pandemic. But will that last in 2021? What’s more, the kinds of consumers buying wine Wine Spectator online broadened. International market analysis firm By Mitch Frank IWSR found that 44 percent of Americans who April 13, 2021 shopped online for alcohol in 2020 had never done so From the May 31, 2021, issue before. Most past DtC customers had been wine devotees, ordering wine they couldn’t find in the local “I’ve been urging wineries to up their online game shop. Now, casual wine drinkers were buying too. since 2000,” says industry analyst Rob McMillan, According to Ship Compliant, sales of wines priced executive vice president of Silicon Valley Bank’s wine over $100 per bottle decreased 2 percent, while sales division. “It took a pandemic to make it happen.” of wines under $30 a bottle rose 41.6 percent. By now, you have undoubtedly heard how the But will this trend in winery DtC last? shutdowns that COVID-19 triggered across the nation last year upended the wine market. Restaurants and Most economists now project that as more people get tasting rooms closed for significant parts of the year, vaccinated, restrictions will ease and dining and 12

tasting room sales will recover, possibly quickly as • 44 percent of Americans who now shop online for people celebrate the end of shutdowns. The market alcohol had never done so before 2020. provided a preview of this in early fall of last year; • Online alcohol sales in 2020 increased a projected when infection rates dipped and restrictions eased 86 percent to $5.6 billion. temporarily, online wine sales ebbed. • Wine.com reported 217 percent growth in the And wineries have plenty of competition. Online first half of its fiscal year 2020. retailers also prospered during lockdown. The biggest, Wine.com, saw sales grow 217 percent in the • Uber paid $1.1 billion to acquire Drizly, which first six months of the year and 119% for the entire allows consumers to order alcohol online from year. As consumers increasingly found it easy and local shops for delivery. attractive to order alcohol online, Uber shelled out Sources: IWSR, Silicon Valley Bank, Sovos Ship $1.1 billion at year’s end to buy Drizly, an app that Compliant facilitates online alcohol sales and delivery from local shops. Wine industry analysts say wineries will need to build These Are the 50 U.S. Craft Brewers That Sold the on what they learned during lockdowns. “A lot of Most Beer in 2020 winery DtC has been passive,” says Mabray. These are the craft breweries selling the most beer. Consumers went to winery websites looking for their Thrillist favorites. “Very few wineries have pursued active By Dustin Nelson sales—finding new customers.” What’s more, most April 12, 2021 wineries haven’t been gathering data on who is buying online and what they’re looking for. McMillan Every year, the Brewers Association (BA), a not-for- found that 48 percent of U.S. wineries have no one on profit trade association for small and independent staff analyzing online sales. breweries, puts out a report about the craft breweries that produced the most beer over the last year. Wineries do have a head start over most wine retailers. Direct shipping by out-of-state wineries is It's a fascinating look at the breweries that are the now legal in all but a handful of states. Direct shipping most in-demand. The report also comes with a by out-of-state wine retailers is prohibited in 34 ranking that includes non-craft breweries to states. But that won’t last. Wineries have an contextualize where craft brewers sit compared to advantage because they often engender strong industry giants like Anheuser Busch In-Bev. The list of customer loyalty, but they need to find consumers craft brewers ranges from big breweries like Boston first. “Seize the moment,” says Jeff Carroll, general Beer (makers of Sam Adams and Truly hard seltzer) manager at Avalara, which helps wineries with DtC and Yuengling to familiar craft beer stalwarts like Bells logistics. “You have big players getting involved.” Brewery and some that only distribute in a small portion of the country, like Wisconsin's New Glarus. 2020 Online Wine Records It's an interesting look at the world of craft beer every • In 2020, Direct to Consumer wine sales rose 27 year, but the specter of the pandemic looms over the percent by volume, the largest ever year over BA's annual reports this year. "The COVID-19 year increase. pandemic drastically changed where Americans • Shipments of wine under $30 per bottle rose 41.6 purchased alcohol in 2020. Breweries who had percent. established packaging and distribution capacity were best positioned to take advantage of the boom in off- • Shipments of wine over $100 per bottle dipped 2 premise sales and weather market uncertainty," Bart percent. Warson, Chief Economist at the Brewers Association, • Wineries shipped 8.39 million cases to said in a statement. "These businesses also saw consumers. variation in performance based on geography and business model, with different parts of the country • On April 1, 2020, the average American winery seeing very different beer trends, and draught-heavy made 2 percent of sales online. By Nov. 1, 2020, breweries suffering." it was 10 percent. 13

Overall, the BA reports that craft brewers produced without military combat experience, this may be fewer barrels of beer last year after many years of partially due to greater overall posttraumatic stress year-over-year increases. The total production in severity among men who experienced military 2020 was 23.1 million barrels, down from 26.3 million combat. barrels in 2019. That represents 12.3% of the beer “This interpretation is supported by higher rates of market, which was also down in 2020. Craft beer took PTSD and greater PTSD symptom totals among men 13.6% of the share in 2019 and 13% in 2018. The BA with [combat experience] versus those without in our says this is the "first production decline in the modern sample, as well as with prior research linking PTSD craft era." That gives a sense of how hard breweries severity to both combat exposure and hazardous were hit in the pandemic. alcohol use. Alcohol use may be perceived by military The total number of craft breweries in the US combat Veterans as an effective, socially acceptable increased, again, from 8,391 in 2019 to 8,764 in 2020. strategy for coping with PTSD symptoms and That's fewer openings than in past years, but still an associated distress, perhaps due to certain overall increase. If you expected to see a decrease personality factors, masculinity-related gender there, it's worth noting that you can't open a brewery norms, or general attitudes toward alcohol common overnight. Many breweries that opened in 2020 were in the military. These and other possible planned prior to the start of the pandemic. interpretations warrant additional research attention.” DAILY NEWS Researcher surprised by two of the study’s findings Study sheds light on interplay among PTSD, combat Dr. Shannon Blakey, a postdoctoral fellow at the Mid- experience, alcohol use (blog) Atlantic Mental Illness, Research, Education and Clinical Center at the Durham VA Health Care System US Department of Veterans Affairs in North Carolina, led the study. Dr. Jack Tsai and Dr. April 12, 2021 Eric Elbogen, both of the VA National Center on A new VA study finds that combat experience is Homelessness Among Veterans, were the co-authors. associated with a higher risk of alcohol use to cope Blakey was most surprised by two of the findings. with PTSD symptoms. But the connection is weaker when accounting for the severity of the PTSD. “First, the association between combat experience and drinking to cope was statistically significant when The findings appeared online in the Journal of Dual adjusting for the presence versus absence of a PTSD Diagnosis in March 2021. diagnosis, but not when adjusting for the number of In an observational study of more than 11,000 men PTSD symptoms,” she says. “This suggests that with at least one traumatic experience, the drinking to cope among trauma-exposed men is more researchers found that those with combat experience strongly associated with PTSD severity than the mere were much more likely than those without to report presence of PTSD.” drinking alcohol to cope with PTSD. The diversity of “Second, our analyses showed that trauma-exposed traumatic experiences, the severity of PTSD, and men without combat experience were more likely diagnoses of alcohol abuse or dependence were than men with combat experience to report an significantly tied to drinking to cope with PTSD. alcohol use disorder,” she adds. “That’s not entirely `Warrant additional research attention’ consistent with previous research and highlights the However, combat experience was not strongly linked complexity of associations between trauma to drinking to cope when the researchers adjusted for exposure, posttraumatic experiences, drinking to a person’s total number of PTSD symptoms. cope, and drinking severity among trauma survivors.” The researchers write: “Our findings suggest that `Something unique about combat trauma’ although men with combat experience may be more Understanding the complicated nature of PTSD is one prone to use alcohol to cope with PTSD symptoms of VA’s most pressing challenges. Large percentages and associated distress than trauma-exposed men of Veterans who fought in Vietnam, the Gulf War, and

14

Iraq and Afghanistan have had PTSD sometime in The DADSS Program is a collaborative research effort their lives. Symptoms include flashbacks, nightmares, to invent, test, commercialize and deploy innovative hypervigilance, aggressive behavior and anxiety. alcohol detection technologies in vehicles to help eliminate drunk driving crashes. The program brings Studies have shown that PTSD increases the risk for together the Automotive Coalition for Traffic Safety drinking problems. But research has been scant on (ACTS), which represents the world's leading whether combat experience is linked to alcohol use to automakers and the National Highway Traffic Safety cope with PTSD. Administration (NHTSA). Blakey’s team used data from men who took part in Viewers will learn about the technology's ability to the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and automatically detect when a driver is intoxicated with Related Conditions. The survey recruited a nationally a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) at or above representative sample of U.S. adults between 2004 0.08% — the legal limit in all 50 states (except Utah) and 2005, including Veterans and non-Veterans. – and prevent the car from moving. In addition, the The researchers focused mostly on the responses to show will explore how engineers, chemists, and data the yes-no question, “Did you ever drink alcohol to scientists are currently testing the technology under improve your mood or to make yourself feel better real-world operating conditions. when you were [experiencing PTSD symptoms]?” "DADSS is our moonshot to eliminate drunk driving, They adjusted for whether the men met the criteria and we're excited to give Advancements a behind- for alcohol use disorder. They were thus able to the-scenes look at the innovative research and capture both drinking severity and drinking to cope development taking place in the lab and on the road." with PTSD symptoms in their analyses. said Robert Strassburger, CEO of the Automotive More Information Coalition for Traffic Safety (ACTS). "The technology Click here to read the full story. has come a long way since the program's inception, and we look forward to giving viewers a first-hand Click here to learn more about VA research. look at how the technology will work in consumer vehicles and the life-saving safety benefits it will

provide." Innovations in Alcohol Detection Technology to be Explored on Advancements Series Hearing from experts in the field, audiences will learn why Congress and safety advocates nationwide are Yahoo! supporting the effort, making DADSS part of a multi- News Release faceted national commitment to reduce and help April 12, 2021 eliminate drunk driving. Discover how technology is being used to reduce "Approximately one-third of all traffic crash fatalities drunk driving crashes. in the United States involve drunk drivers," said Matt JUPITER, Fla., April 12, 2021 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Mylander, producer for the Advancements series. This season, the award-winning series, Advance- "We look forward to exploring how this technology ments with Ted Danson, will discover how could help to reduce those numbers and make the developments in science and technology are creating roads safer for everyone." new alcohol detection methods to help eliminate The Driver Alcohol Detection System for Safety: drunk driving crashes. The Driver Alcohol Detection System for Safety Despite progress over the past three decades, drunk (DADSS) Program is a public-private partnership driving is still the number one cause of traffic between the Automotive Coalition for Traffic Safety fatalities, claiming approximately 10,000 lives in the (ACTS), which represents the world's leading U.S. each year. In this segment, viewers will go behind automakers and the National Highway Traffic Safety the scenes to learn about the Driver Alcohol Administration (NHTSA). Public-private partnerships Detection System for Safety (DADSS) Program, which like DADSS have led to innovations that enhance our is researching a first-of-its-kind technology that holds everyday lives, such as the internet, GPS and the the potential to reverse this trend.

15

microchip. The Program is researching a first-of-its- kind technology called the alcohol detection system that will detect when a driver is impaired with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) at or above 0.08% and prevent a vehicle from moving. For more information about the DADSS Program, visit http://www.dadss.org Advancements and DMG Productions: The Advancements series is an information-based educational show targeting recent advances across a number of industries and economies. Featuring state- of-the-art solutions and important issues facing today's consumers and business professionals, Advancements focuses on cutting-edge developments, and brings this information to the public with the vision to enlighten about how technology and innovation continue to transform our world. Backed by experts in various fields, DMG Productions is dedicated to education and advancement, and to consistently producing commercial-free, educational programming on which both viewers and networks depend. For more info, please visit: http://www.Advancementstv.com or call Matt Mylander at 866-496-4065. Media Contact Sarah McBrayer, DMG Productions, 866-496-4065, [email protected] SOURCE Advancements Series

This email and any files transmitted with it are intended solely for the use of NABCA members, free-of-charge. If you do not wish to receive this daily service, please respond with “UNSUBSCRIBE” in the Subject line. In addition, if there is another individual within your company who should also be receiving this service, please forward their name, title, employer, and email address to [email protected]. Thank you for your time and attention as we continue to work to improve upon the services and benefits that we provide to our members. Please note that any views or opinions presented in this email are solely those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent those of the National Alcohol Beverage Control Association.