Pernod Ricard Introduces E-Labels On Drinks Bottles To The Cambodia Market - Educating Consumers To Make Informed Decisions
Pernod Ricard has introduced e-labels on bottles in Cambodia for the first time in an initiative which follows the recent success of launches in Singapore and Vietnam, and aims to help adults of legal drinking age make informed decisions about whether and how much to drink.
The global company behind brands such as Chivas Regal, Ballantine’s, Jameson, Absolut, and Beefeater Gin, says this marks an important step in the industry’s commitment to introducing National Drinking Guidelines in Cambodia for the first time, providing accurate and balanced information on alcohol and health as an essential tool for reducing harmful drinking.
The e-label initiative is part of the wider U-label programme put in place by the European wine and spirits industry associations that support wine and spirits companies in digitally sharing information on the composition of their products.
Mr. Daren Ong, Managing Director of Pernod Ricard Cambodge, said of the initiative, “Customer-centricity drives everything we do at Pernod Ricard. Our digital label is a direct response to consumer demand for clear, accessible product information in Cambodia. With easy-to-understand content in Khmer, we provide actionable guidance to help consumers make informed choices. As the first to roll out digital labelling across our entire portfolio, we are setting a new industry standard as well as creating awareness about the risks associated with harmful consumption. We are committed to evolving this platform with industry partners and consumers to ensure greater engagement and impact”.
What Are The E-Labels?
Digital labels printed on Pernod Ricard’s drinks bottles will offer consumers information and clear, actionable guidance around responsible drinking. 80 per cent of Pernod Ricard’s spirits and wines sold in Cambodia will be produced with the e-label which are accessible via a QR code printed on the back label of Pernod Ricard products. This allows consumers in Cambodia to quickly access detailed product information in both English and Khmer.
By scanning the QR code with any mobile device, consumers will be directed to a dedicated webpage offering geo-localised insights about the product, including ingredients, nutritional facts, responsible drinking guidelines and information on health risks.
This includes recommended alcohol drinking guidelines based on international benchmarking to help inform individuals of the legal drinking age and how to minimise health risks associated with drinking alcohol.
Pernod Ricard is the first group to roll out this innovation across its entire spirit portfolio globally an an e-label in Cambodia includes:
- Information about the health risks associated with harmful alcohol consumption.
- Alcohol drinking guidelines based on international benchmarking of 89 countries that currently provide recommendations to guide alcohol consumption and minimize risk for adult consumers, most often within the context of dietary and nutritional advice and expressed as a ‘standard drink’.
- A list of ingredients and associated nutritional information
For most healthy adults, drinking within recommended limits is consistent with a balanced and healthful lifestyle. Drinking guidelines play an important role in this process and encourage positive choices and drinking that is moderate, responsible, and consistent with a balanced and healthful lifestyle. Most countries that have issued national alcohol drinking guidelines advise men to consume no more than 2 standard drinks a day (or 20 grams of pure alcohol) and for women to consume no more than 1 standard drink a day (or 10 grams of pure alcohol)*. The move responds to consumer demand for easy-to-access product information to support informed choices about alcohol consumption.
*‘Standard’ drinks provide a way to calculate the number of ‘glasses’ or servings into an exact amount of alcohol. The Cambodian health authorities have not issued national alcohol drinking guidelines nor defined a standard drink. Most countries that do have a definition of a standard drink define it as equal to 10 grams of pure alcohol. This amount is the same for beer, wine, and distilled spirits.
Cambodia Proposes New Draft Alcohol Legislation
Cambodia is proposing new draft alcohol legislation for the first time which includes a legal purchase age for alcohol use to better protect minors from accessing alcoholic beverages. Currently, Cambodia is one of the few countries in the world without a minimum Legal Purchase Age (LPA).
Pernod Ricard said it "has long championed the actions taken by the Royal Government of Cambodia to put in place an LPA at 18 years old. The new e-label launch forms a crucial step in supporting the government’s ambitions to build a better-informed, healthier society.
This digital-first initiative is the first of its kind globally within the wine and spirits industry. It forms part of the company’s wider sustainability and responsibility agenda in the region, which sets a new benchmark in aligning corporate growth with responsible business and sustainable development.
- Pernod Ricard continues to contribute to alcohol harm reduction through targeted interventions, with 93% of its 160 markets having contributed to a local or global responsible drinking initiative in 2022.
- Over the years, the company has been actively involved in global efforts to prevent and reduce the harmful use of alcohol through collaborations with industry stakeholders, governments, civil society, and consumers worldwide.
- Initiatives such as the ‘Drink More Water’ campaign have encouraged young adults to drink in moderation,
- The “Power of No” campaign in 2021 worked with government agencies, NGOs and community organisations to shift the cultural conversation around drink driving - and reached six million people across Cambodia.
The introduction of the e-label marks a new benchmark for transparency within the alcohol industry, offering consumers in Cambodia more accessible and detailed product information for the first time.
This shift is expected to encourage industry-wide changes towards greater accountability, influencing standards to ensure a robust regulatory environment and facilitate new National Drinking Guidelines and a minimum Legal Purchase Age in Cambodia for a healthier more sustainable future.
This press release was supplied.