PHS welcomes increase in MUP to maintain effectiveness
First published on 30 September 2024
- Alcohol
The minimum cost of a unit of alcohol in Scotland has increased from 50p to 65p per unit today. This is in an effort to counteract the effects of inflation and ensure the policy remains effective.
Minimum Unit Pricing (MUP) sets a minimum price per unit of alcohol, which means that no alcoholic drink can be sold below this price. MUP was implemented in Scotland in 2018.
The latest annual data shows that, although alcohol-specific death rates are rising across the UK, they are rising more slowly in Scotland than in other parts of the UK.
Research conducted by Public Health Scotland and the University of Glasgow estimated that MUP had reduced alcohol-attributable deaths by 13.4% (156 per year) and was likely to have reduced hospital admissions that are wholly attributable to alcohol by 4.1% (400 per year) up to the end of 2020, compared to what would have happened if MUP had not been in place.
Responding to the increase in MUP, Dr Tara Shivaji, Consultant at Public Health Scotland, said:
“We’re pleased to see the Scottish Government introduce this increase. Scotland has the highest levels of alcohol harm in the UK but, since the introduction of MUP, we have seen that gap narrow.
“We found that MUP is an evidence-based policy which has contributed to saving lives and reducing harms from alcohol. For MUP to continue to work, its value has to be maintained.
“While we welcome this introduction today, there’s an urgent need for comprehensive action at scale to address the high levels of alcohol harm in Scotland and change our relationship with alcohol.”
A PHS policy briefing on alcohol sets out the range of evidence-based actions that could be taken to prevent and reduce harm from alcohol, building on the progress that has been made through MUP. View the PHS briefing on alcohol.
View the PHS final report on the independent evaluation of the impact of MUP for alcohol in Scotland
Find out more about our work to address health harming commodities, including alcohol, in Scotland