Meteorologists say summer began on June 1st, Astronomists say the date changes in line with the summer solstice and this year it will start on June 21st. Meanwhile many people in the U.K feel like summer arrived early for 2026 with the hottest May bank holiday on record. The bright and sunny weather brings a great opportunity for marketing cool and refreshing drinks, here’s the Advisory Service’s guide to making sure alcohol marketing doesn’t make you sweat!
Social Success
Marketing lines which place alcohol as a legitimate accompaniment to a social occasion are acceptable but producers should be careful not to tip over into suggesting that alcohol can be a catalyst to social success. Lines such as ‘get the summer started’ could be interpreted as a suggestion that consumption of the drink could improve the success of the summer season. We would instead recommend that marketing lines focus on the quality and taste of the drink, for example ‘a refreshing choice for your summer drinks’.
Novel packaging
Packaging which makes drinks easy to freeze or easier to carry and reseal when outdoors are often popular in the hotter months. Novel packaging is not inherently an issue under Code rules, but care should be taken to ensure that the alcoholic nature of the drink is absolutely clear to avoid any confusion for consumers.
Water sports and beach play
Producers often want to use beach or pool scenes to communicate the summery nature of their product. Creative designs can be acceptable under Code rules so long as care is taken to avoid any images that suggest the drink has been consumed before or during taking part in water sports or swimming. Additionally, some beach and pool accessories may particularly appeal to under-18s, such as buckets and spades or inflatables with child-friendly themes and so these images should be avoided to minimise risk.
Therapeutic benefits
Alcohol marketing should not suggest that consumption of a drink can change mood or behaviour. Presenting a chilled drink as a serving suggestion is acceptable, but care should be taken to avoid any suggestion that a chilled drink could make a consumer feel ‘chilled’ or relaxed.
Alcohol Alternatives
Alcohol alternatives are a popular choice during warmer weather especially for those who may be designated driver on beach or festival days. Just as with alcohol products, it is important to minimise consumer confusion, an alcohol alternative drink should make it clear that it is below the threshold to be considered an alcoholic drink. This could be achieved by communicating the product’s ABV or using a descriptor where appropriate i.e., ‘alcohol-free’.
Just like alcohol products, a drink its packaging and any promotional material or activity should not have a particular appeal to under-18s. The alcohol alternative category is intended for adult consumers and so any marketing or associated merchandise should not have a particular appeal to under-18s.
Free Advisory Service
If you are an alcohol producer or marketing agency that would like to access free, fast and confidential advice for your summer activations, please do get in touch using our webform or direct email, the Advisory Service will be happy to hear from you.
Author: Laura Blackmore
Laura is responsible for providing tailored regulatory advice and training under the Portman Group’s Codes of Practice. Laura brings experience from a successful career in education, leadership and management. Laura utilises her educational background to deliver bespoke training and advice through the Portman Group’s advisory service.
A new study has revealed near universal levels of compliance across the alcohol industry with the voluntary health labelling guidelines set by the Portman Group – the UK alcohol marketing self-regulator and social responsibility body.
The study sampled 500 alcohol products taken from the UK’s top brands, who together roughly cover over 90% of the retail alcohol sold by volume across all major UK retailers.
The results show that UK consumers are now provided with more information than ever before on alcohol labels, enabling them to make an informed choice to support moderation and responsible drinking behaviour. This also demonstrates that the industry has taken the initiative on responsibility in the absence of any Government-required mandate.
The study found near universal coverage of the Portman Group’s minimum recommended guidelines:
- Over 99% of labels carry a pregnancy warning logo or message.
- 96% carry alcohol unit content information.
- 89% carry the UK Chief Medical Officers weekly low-risk drinking guidelines not to regularly drink more than 14 units per week.
- 85% carry a reference to the independent education charity Drinkaware – and we recognise that this carries a license cost implication for producers.
The research also revealed significant increases in many brands going above and beyond the guidelines with the following additional elements:
- Close to two thirds (62%) carry calorie information on label.
- Just under half (48%) carry a warning against drink driving.
- 41% carry an age restriction warning.
For over 30 years, the UK alcohol industry has proactively worked to ensure that alcohol labelling is both socially responsible and informative for consumers, and since 2017 the Portman Group has been advising the industry on adhering to the most recent industry Best Practice Guidance.
We recognise the UK Government’s intention to consult later this year on the mandatory provision of health warnings and nutritional information on packaging. As a pro-active and pro-growth responsibility body, the Portman Group shares the view that clear and consistent and actionable product information for consumers is vital. We would urge as a reasonable first step, applying consistency in existing high labelling standards to close the remaining gaps whilst avoiding unfairly penalising responsible producers who have voluntarily applied responsible consumer advice. We strongly urge the Government to take a collaborative approach to work with the Portman Group and wider industry, taking advantage of our knowledge and experience in setting and applying standards.
Matt Lambert, CEO of the Portman Group said: “We are proud to see our best practice guidance voluntarily adopted near universally across UK alcohol products – helping consumers to make an informed choice around alcohol and supporting moderation and responsible drinking behaviour.
“Go into your nearest supermarket and pick up a bottle of beer, cider, wine or spirits from the top brands on the UK market and you are likely to find a wealth of information voluntarily provided. Alongside an ABV you will see pregnancy warnings, unit information, the Chief Medical Officer low-risk guidelines, calorie information, and increasingly ingredient information as well as further health warnings against drink driving or underage drinking.
“This huge progress should not be taken for granted and represents significant hard work and investment from responsible producers, retailers and importers across the industry – all the more impressive given how diverse and ever-changing the sector is.
“We recognise there is more work to do and we stand ready to work with the Government to close the small gaps in the existing high standards with those who need to go further whilst not unfairly penalising and adding additional burdens to the vast majority of producers who have voluntarily carried consumer health information.”
The full report can be found here.
- 500 products sampled – 94% of which (471 products) – compliant with the Portman Group’s Code of Practice
- 5% were in breach of the Code, resulting in a packaging redesign or withdrawal from the market
- Two Retailer Alert Bulletins issued – the first since 2023 – asking retailers to stop stocking products
- Producers warned to be careful on potential particular appeal to under-18s or encouraging irresponsible or immoderate consumption
- Producers can utilise our free and confidential advisory service – 99% of requests answered within 48 hours.
Following the launch last year of its first proactive, independent audit of alcohol marketing, the Portman Group – the UK industry marketing regulator and responsibility body – is pleased to announce near universal compliance with its Code of Practice on Naming and Packaging.
Out of 500 products assessed by independent auditors, Zenith Global, only 5% were ultimately judged by the Independent Complaints Panel to be in breach – requiring labelling to either be amended or removed from the GB market.
The decision to become a more proactive regulator was led by a desire to enhance the gold standard regulation that the Portman Group is known for internationally and maintain high standards of industry compliance and as part of its drive as a pro-growth regulator.
The results of the audit showed that the vast majority of the alcohol industry is responsible, with 94% of the products assessed found to be meeting the requirements of the Code, confirming that consumers are protected from exposure to harmful and inappropriate marketing.
As a result of the audit, producers have been warned to be extra vigilant to ensure that products do not potentially have a particular appeal to under-18s or encourage irresponsible or immoderate consumption – as these two rules were breached more often than any other Code rules.
Producers are also encouraged to make use of the Portman Group’s free and confidential advisory service. With a separate report published today highlighting continuing high levels of service in 2024 – with 99% of requests for advice answered within 48 hours – as well as the number of training sessions delivered increasing by a third, highlighting how the Portman Group seeks to proactively support the industry in making sure that responsible marketing is the easy choice.
Portman Group CEO, Matt Lambert said, “The audit has set a benchmark for regulatory compliance and demonstrates the strength of the self-regulatory model. The audit shows 94% compliance, this alongside the ASA’s 96% compliance rate[1] in its Pulse Report for alcohol advertising is excellent news and demonstrates that industry compliance is in good shape across the board. Whilst it’s disappointing to have to issue two Retailer Alert Bulletins, the first since 2023, it shows that the Portman Group is willing to take tough action when producers refuse to engage or to follow our advice to amend products when subject to upheld complaints by the Independent Complaints Panel. All of this work happens in the context of encouraging growth, innovation and creativity whilst ensuring that marketing is responsible and consumers are protected.”
Chair of the Independent Complaints Panel, Rachel Childs said, “The work of the Panel overall this year has increased significantly and, with the commitment of the Portman Group to the audit on a biennial basis, this is likely to become the norm. This substantial piece of work demonstrates not only the high rate of compliance of the industry as a whole, but the desire from the vast majority of producers to work with the Portman Group in a constructive way to ensure products are acceptable under the Code. The range of Code rules the Panel considered this year has undergone a shift and reflects a wider range than in previous years. Every case that comes before the Panel helps the industry develop its understanding of how the Code is applied and allows the executive at the Portman Group to continually refine and develop the Code and its Guidance accordingly.”
The full Audit Report is available on the Portman Group website, along with the 2025 Regulatory Report, which reviews all the regulatory affairs of the Portman Group in the past twelve months.
[1] This compliance rate relates to alcoholic products only, the full report references compliance rates for both the alcohol and low/no alcohol sectors.
FAQs – Portman Group Taking Responsibility for Alcohol Regulation 2025 Report:
Q: How many complaints were received in 2025?
A: 96 complaints – 47% from members of public, 38% from Zenith Global Commercial (independent auditor) and 15% from specialist interest or competitors.
Q: How many cases were upheld under the Code?
A: 50% of cases considered by the Panel were upheld and one Retailer Alert Bulletin (RAB) was issued[2].
Q: How many pieces of advice were given by the Advisory Service?
A: 377 pieces of advice given
Q: How many training sessions on the Codes of Practice were delivered?
A: 24 training sessions were delivered
Q: What were the top three advice requests by Code rule:
A: – 3.2(h) A drink, its packaging or promotion should not have a particular appeal to under-18s. A producer must not allow the placement of brand names, logos or trademarks on merchandise which has a particular appeal tounder-18s or is intended for use primarily by under-18s
– 3.2(j) A drink, its packaging or promotion should not suggest that the product has therapeutic qualities, can enhance mental or physical capabilities, or change mood or behaviour.
– 3.2(b) A drink, its packaging or promotion should not suggest any association with bravado, or with violent, aggressive, dangerous, anti-social or illegal behaviour (though sponsorship of activities which may be dangerous after alcohol consumption, such as motor racing, or yachting are not in themselves in breach of this clause).
FAQs, Portman Group Proactive Audit Report:
Q: What prompted the audit?
A: Previous audits were linked to Code reviews, however, to become a more proactive regulator an audit will now take place every two years and will no longer be linked to a Code review.
Q: Which products were reviewed?
A: 500 random products from the GB market were reviewed. The sample was statistically representative and weighted across all categories of alcohol according to market share.
Q: Will there be follow-up audits?
A: Yes, a proactive audit of the market will take place every two years
[2] Two RABs were issued in the process of the Audit – one was issued during 2025 and one in January 2026. The figures from the Regulatory report only relate to 1st January – December 31st, 2025, during which time there was just one RAB issued.
Matt Lambert, CEO of the Portman Group – the alcohol social responsibility body and marketing regulator said:
“It would normally be welcome to see a fall in alcohol hospital admissions, however today’s statistics do not provide a full and representative picture as the figures are from the height of the COVID-19 pandemic when general admissions were down. As such it remains unclear how this trend will develop.
“We repeat our call for the Government to take targeted measures to help those drinking at the heaviest and most harmful rates, who have been hit hard by the effects of the pandemic and subsequent lockdowns.”
PHE report on alcohol consumption and harm during the COVID-19 pandemic
Our response to the PHE report on alcohol consumption and harm during the COVID-19 pandemic. This includes our research conducted in May and August 2020.
This research found that the moderate majority, 88% of UK drinkers, were consuming the same, less or had stopped drinking alcohol altogether, this has been consistently evident throughout the pandemic.
Matt Lambert, CEO of the Portman Group, the social responsibility and regulatory body for alcohol in the UK, commented:
“This report’s finding on pandemic drinking behaviour is consistent with many others. The moderate majority continued to drink the same, or less than before, while it was mainly the small minority who were already drinking at heavier rates who increased their drinking with tragic consequences – this was shown in the Portman Group and others research which the PHE cited.
“The pandemic created a perfect storm where harmful drinking was concerned. COVID-19 restrictions appear to have cut off social and professional support to highest harm drinkers, or deterred these most vulnerable people from seeking help in the first instance. We urge the Government to renew its focus on measures aimed at supporting these people.
“On alcohol sales the volume fell by over 10% (Euromonitor 2021) as many people who drink in pubs and clubs chose not to drink or didn’t buy as much from retailers.”
Portman Group responds to PHE methodology consultation which may significantly lower estimates of alcohol-related deaths/admissions by around a quarter
The Portman Group has responded to Public Health England’s consultation on proposed updates to its use of alcohol-attributable fractions (AAFs) which impact how it calculates alcohol-related mortality and hospital admissions in England. An AAF denotes the proportion of disease cases which are estimated to have been caused by alcohol.
PHE has said updating its methodology to account for declining alcohol consumption across the population, as well as harmful drinking patterns such as binge drinking, would result in current estimates of alcohol-related deaths and admissions being lowered by around a quarter.
Implementing the new methodology would mean that:
- Current estimated alcohol-related deaths across England would be lowered by around 5,700 – equating to around nearly a quarter (23%) of deaths currently included.
- Estimated hospital admissions for alcohol-related conditions (under the narrow definition) in England would fall by around 83,000 – again equating to around a quarter (23%) of admissions currently included.
- Estimated hospital admissions for alcohol-related conditions (under the broad definition) would fall by around 320,000 – equating to around 25% of admissions currently included.
As an evidence-led organisation, we are in favour of the proposed changes presented by PHE, as it is based on an updated evidence base in order to present a more accurate picture and takes into account over a decade of progress of tackling alcohol-related harm.
We believe this update is especially important as it will allow policymakers to make better informed decisions and help to more effectively target policies towards those drinking at the heaviest and most harmful rates.
Recognising positive behaviour
The Portman Group feels that it is important that PHE makes clear that it is changing its methodology to account for positive behaviour change amongst the general population, whilst also recognising the harm that alcohol misuse can cause to individuals remains unchanged.
We would strongly encourage that wider estimates of alcohol-related harm based on these calculations (i.e., previous PHE estimates on the economic cost of alcohol misuse) are also updated to reflect over a decade of progress in tackling harm.
This would take into account wider trends such as:
- Close to a fall of a half (47%) in alcohol-related violent crime in England and Wales since 2009/10[i];
- A 33% fall in drink driving accidents across Great Britain since 2009[ii];
- Almost three quarters (73%) fall in the proportion of pupils who drink at least once a week from 2006 to 2014, which has remained at 6% under the new methodology since 2016[iii].
Public health authorities in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland should also follow PHE’s lead to update their own estimates of alcohol-related harm, to take account of declining trends in harm across the whole of the UK.
Lastly, we would be keen for PHE to provide clearer communication regarding its use of alcohol-attributable fractions for alcohol-related indictors to estimate harm and risk. These are important for the lay population to understand and there should be a thorough and comprehensible explanation to the public and policymakers regarding the updated figures compared to the current statistics, which PHE says “may misrepresent the potential burden of alcohol on mortality and hospital admissions (and other statistics related to these)”. This will enhance public trust in the validity of this data, which is often cited by policymakers when discussing alcohol issues.
Overall, this consultation is a welcome chance for the Government to take ownership of over a decade of progress in tackling alcohol misuse at update its estimates of harm, as the UK increasingly becomes a nation of moderate drinkers.
[i] ONS: Nature
of crime: violence, September 2020
[ii] UK Department for Transport: Reported road casualties in Great Britain, provisional estimates involving illegal alcohol levels, 2019, February 2021
[iii] NHS Digital: Smoking, Drinking and Drug Use among Young People in England, August 2019
Response to the ONS data on alcohol-specific deaths in England and Wales
Matt Lambert, CEO of the Portman Group, the social responsibility and regulatory body for alcohol in the UK, responds to the ONS statistics on alcohol specific deaths:
“The data around the levels of harmful drinking within the UK are complex, particularly during the COVID-19 lockdowns. The majority of people in the UK continue to drink responsibly, with four in five drinking within the government lower-risk guidelines of 14 units per week or not at all and recent reports highlight that the majority of people continued to drink responsibly during lockdown.
“We need to see more targeted measures which address unsafe levels of drinking and support those who are vulnerable to access the right treatment and support, particularly during lockdown.”