Irish stores to separate alcohol from food

Written by David Shrimpton
Monday, 27 October 2008
Supermarkets and convenience stores in Ireland could soon be forced to separate alcoholic drinks from food and other products using a permanent barrier or turnstile. According to the Irish Independent newspaper, negotiations between retailers and the Department of Justice are at an advanced stage and an announcement will be made next month. The measures had been due to come in earlier this year, but were shelved for further consultation. Negotiations were now at an advance stage, a government source told The Independent. A new code of practice is to be drawn up that will involve controlling access to the off-licence area. The aim is to end the impression that alcohol is just another grocery product. Stores that are too small to separate alcoholic drinks will have to sell them from behind a separate counter (with the exception of wine). The news comes a week after it was revealed that the UK government is considering forcing supermarkets to introduce alcohol-only checkouts. Share This Email This Comments (0) Show/Hide comments Write comment Show/Hide comment form Name Email Comment smaller \| bigger Subscribe via email (Registered users only) I have read and agree to the Terms of Usage. Write the displayed characters Similar news items: 23 Dec 2009 - Winners and losers in 2009 22 Oct 2009 - Consumers drinking at home to save costs 19 Oct 2009 - Drinks industry attacks 90,000 deaths claim 18 Aug 2009 - Low alcohol wines on the agenda 28 Jul 2009 - Alcohol Standards appoints adviser 16 Jul 2009 - £100m campaign targets binge drinkers 10 Jul 2009 - Charity says cinema ad rules fail children 06 Jul 2009 - Swedes press for higher EU drinks taxes 28 May 2009 - Irish sales down as drinkers head north 15 May 2009 - Diageo promotes sensible drinking to students