British kids recognize beer brands better than those of ice cream, cookies and chips

Beer executives rejoice!

All that money spent on expensive television advertising and sports sponsorship is paying off.

A survey of more than 800 primary school children in England and Scotland found that kids are more familiar with the Australian beer Foster’s than they are with leading brands of cookies, chips and ice cream.

The survey, conducted by Alcohol Concern and other health charities, also discovered that many of the children, who were aged 10 and 11, correctly linked particular beer brands with the soccer teams they sponsored.

Nearly half of the children in England, for example, knew that Carlsberg beer is the sponsor of the English national soccer team, while 47 percent of children in Scotland correctly associated Carling beer with the Scottish side. Their dads must be so proud.

The recognition of beer brands was even higher among those children who watched television later at night (when beer ads are usually shown), used social media and had consumed beer. 

The results have naturally outraged the charities involved in the survey. They're now demanding stricter controls on alcohol advertising and a ban on alcohol sponsorship of sporting teams.  

“This research shows just how many of our children are being exposed to alcohol marketing, with an even bigger impact being made on those children with an interest in sport,” said Tom Smith, head of policy at Alcohol Concern. 

“Children get bombarded with pro-drinking messages, when they turn on the TV, go to the cinema or walk down the road, and the existing codes are failing to protect them."

"We also know the public share our concerns," he added, "which is why we need urgent action from the government to make sure tighter regulations on alcohol advertising are implemented.”

The alcohol industry, not surprisingly, disagrees with pretty much everything Smith said.

A spokesman for UK drinks industry body The Portman Group told the BBC that the study was "weak and misleading" and that official data shows underage drinking is actually falling.

"Bans on alcohol sponsorship do not reduce alcohol harms,” he said.

“In France, an alcohol sponsorship and marketing ban has been accompanied by two decades of increasingly harmful drinking among children and teenagers."

Official statistics appear to support the industry’s position.

Data for England show 12 percent of children between the ages of 11 and 15 had drunk alcohol in the previous week in 2011, down from 26 percent in 2001.

And the percentage of English youngsters who had tried alcohol at least once in their lives fell from 61 percent in 2001 to 45 percent in 2011.