Alcohol and Health Information

When consumed in moderation, beer and other alcoholic drinks in our portfolio can be part of a well-balanced lifestyle. We are proud brewers committed to promoting responsible consumption and reducing the harmful use of alcohol. We think it is important that consumers are well-informed about alcohol, our products and how they can be enjoyed responsibly. We make sure to emphasize this on our packaging, in our advertising and promotions and through our partnerships. We offer a wide range of drinks at varying Alcohol by Volume (ABV), including more and more no-alcohol and low-alcohol options.

Consuming alcohol is an individual choice. Personal risks and benefits should be considered before consumption. Some evidence has shown that there is a relationship between alcohol consumption and certain health issues. Alcohol affects different people in different ways. For some people also moderate alcohol consumption may increase certain health risks such as cardiovascular issues, diabetes, and certain types of cancer. If you have further questions or concerns, please contact your doctor.

Excessive consumption of alcohol can create dangerous long-term consequences such as physical dependence or addiction to alcohol and should always be avoided. Some people should never drink. For example, people who are below the legal drinking age, pregnant, about to drive or operate machinery, or cannot control their drinking.

Many governments publish recommended drinking guidelines for consumers to reference. Public health authorities also provide a great source of information. To learn more about alcohol and health, we recommend visiting the following sources:

• http://www.who.int/topics/alcohol_drinking/en/
• https://aware.org.za/
• https://aware.org.za/code-of-communications/
• https://www.arb.org.za/assets/appendix-a-alcohol-(2022).pdf
• https://drinksfederationsa.co.za/

Marketing our products responsibly

Our Responsible Marketing Code guides everyone at Heineken Beverages who is involved in marketing and selling our products to ensure we do not contribute to excessive consumption or misuse.

Heineken Beverages is guided by a self-regulatory Code of Commercial Communications to ensure that all forms of advertising and marketing communications are prepared with a due sense of social responsibility. The Code contains relevant guidelines regarding responsible and appropriate depiction of the advertising and marketing of alcohol products.

We are also guided by The Advertising Regulatory Board (ARB) to protect the South African consumer through the self-regulation of advertising, including packaging. The ARB administers the widely accredited Code of Advertising Practice which regulates the content of South African advertising. The ARB (Advertising Regulatory Board) has adopted the Aware.org Code of Commercial Communications.

We define commercial communications as all activities carried out to market our brands (alcoholic and any non-alcoholic versions of alcoholic brands). This includes: all advertising, the brand name, product descriptor, packaging and labelling, digital and mobile phone communication, sponsorships, product placement, promotions (on & off-trade) and point of sale materials.

As an industry leader we implement a consistent, effective approach to encourage responsible drinking behavior and attitude toward alcohol, and actively discourage alcohol abuse. In so doing, we play an active role to support the reduction of irresponsible drinking.

Employees as ambassadors

We encourage our employees to be ambassadors for responsible alcohol consumption and taking ownership and responsibility for their personal alcohol use.

We offer targeted employees a flexible and responsible transport solution to get home safely after consuming alcohol. As part of employee wellness, we offer psycho-social wellness and support in the workplace.

Working with the industry

Industry can be a valuable partner to encourage responsible drinking. The combined impact of brewers working together to address common issues is more powerful and, in some cases, has greater impact than companies acting alone.

Heineken Beverages South Africa is a member of the Drinks Federation of South Africa (DFSA), a non-profit organisation, whose mission is to deliver evidence-based, measurable, and high impact programmes, to bring about positive changes to South Africa’s drinking culture. The DFSA also focus on aligning efforts and work of the industry to leverage collective strengths in a coordinated way and bring scale and impact that is putting the well-being of South African communities at its heart. 

Industry groups, governments, non-government organizations, consumer groups, police forces, legislators, retailers, taverns, restaurants trading as on-consumption outlets, bar, pub owners and community groups all have a valuable role to play in encouraging responsible consumption.

We work with brewers on a global, regional and market level on joint initiatives to promote responsible consumption. We also cooperate with the wider alcohol industry on a global level and in many markets.

Working in partnership

We work with other value chain partners and key stakeholders to encourage responsible behavior and attitudes towards alcohol while addressing alcohol-related harm. It has been recognized by the World Health Organization that brewers can effectively contribute to reducing alcohol related harm.

We currently have partnerships with Government and a variety of NGO’s and third parties to address different areas of alcohol-related harm with impact.