Political interference

Political interference, or lobbying, is Big Alcohol’s activity to eliminate or minimize any alcohol policy effort that would threaten sales and profits. The focus of this Dubious Five strategy is the decision-makers and opinion leaders with the power to shape and decide alcohol policy decisions. Tactics of political interference are delay, derail, or even destroy alcohol policy initiatives, and to divide coalitions supporting alcohol policy initiatives. Big Alcohol is paying lobbyists and lobby front groups to interfere in public health policy making around the world.

Latest cases of Political interference

Misconduct Report Nov 24 '25 AB InBev, Diageo, Heineken
Alcohol Industry Uses Inflated Job Claims and Fake Civil Society to Derail Nigeria’s Sachet Ban

Nigeria’s move to phase out sachet and small-bottle alcohol – formats designed for ultra-availability, low price and youth appeal – ...
Misconduct Report Nov 14 '25
Alcohol Industry Group Asobares Pushes for Expanded Late-Night Service Despite Rising Violence

Bogotá’s nightlife is under renewed scrutiny as a series of violent incidents have drawn attention to what happens in the city’s bars ...
Misconduct Report Oct 6 '25 Diageo
Diageo Exploits Youth Employment Crisis to Rebrand Itself as a “Development Partner” in South Africa

When South Africa’s Deputy Minister of Higher Education, Nomusa Dube-Ncube, appeared alongside Diageo South Africa, ...
Misconduct Report Sep 24 '25
Profit Before Health: Big Alcohol’s Grip on the U.N. NCD Process

The new U.N. political declaration on noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) could have been a turning point for global health. Instead, ...
Misconduct Report Aug 26 '25 Bacardi, Diageo, Pernod Ricard
Industry-Sponsored “Reform” Would Make Alcohol Cheaper in Mexico

The wine and spirits industry is quietly steering Mexico’s alcohol tax debate – and it’s doing so under the guise of policy ...
Misconduct Report Aug 21 '25 Bacardi, Brown-Forman, Diageo
Big Alcohol Captures Health Policy in New Zealand – Internal Files Show Corporate Access, Pressure, and Policy Dilution

Leaked documents reveal New Zealand’s health ministry giving alcohol lobbyists – including Diageo, Bacardi and Brown-Forman – a ...
Misconduct Report Aug 20 '25 Diageo, EABL, Kenya Wine Agencies Limited (KWAL)
EABL and Allies Resist Advance Excise Duty, Undermining Fair Taxation in Kenya

The Alcoholic Beverages Association of Kenya (ABAK), which represents the country’s largest alcohol producers – including East African ...
Misconduct Report Apr 28 '25 Diageo, EABL
Exposing the Lies: Big Alcohol’s Campaign to Block Uganda’s Life-Saving Tax Initiative

The alcohol industry in Uganda is once again misleading the public – this time by exaggerating the effects of a proposed excise duty ...
Misconduct Report Apr 1 '25
Canada’s Alcohol Lobby Hijacks Public Debate

Taxpayer groups do Big Alcohol’s bidding to block even a capped tax adjustment Canada’s alcohol industry is once again distorting ...
More articles on Political interference

Read more about the dubious five

Deception

Deception is Big Alcohol’s activity to hinder and obscure public recognition of the real effects of alcohol. The focus of the Dubious Five strategy of deception is the public’s recognition of the full extent of alcohol harm, the understanding of the risk caused by alcohol products, and the root causes of alcohol harm and their most effective alcohol policy solutions. Using deception strategies Big Alcohol seeks to fuel cognitive dissonance among the public.

Manipulation

Manipulation is Big Alcohol’s activity to control its image. The alcohol industry engages in manipulation activities to protect and cultivate their image and the values of their brands. Deploying manipulation strategies serves for Big Alcohol to appear as “good corporate citizens”. The focus of the Dubious Five strategy of manipulation is the alcohol company, their brands and value. Examples are Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), green-washing, pink-washing, rainbow-washing, or white-washing activities.

Promotion

Promotion, or any marketing strategies, is Big Alcohol’s activity to drive alcohol availability and acceptability, to perpetuate the alcohol norm, and to place alcohol at the center of people’s thoughts and preferences, communities’ practices, and societies’ customs. The focus of this Dubious Five strategy is the people and their beliefs about alcohol products, the public and their attitudes about and behavior around alcohol products, and the consumers and how much, how often they buy and consume alcohol brands.

Sabotage

Sabotage is Big Alcohol's deliberate actions to damage and obstruct people's access to public goods. This Dubious Five strategy comprises calculated actions to break and undermine society's rules, laws, and regulations. This strategy also includes willful activity that jeopardizes people's access to essential resources such as water and basic food. And it includes Big Alcohol's deliberate activities to damage or disrupt the proper functioning of society's institutions, preventing them from addressing alcohol-related harm in the public interest. Examples of this strategy include corruption, bribery, tax evasion and avoidance, price-fixing cartels, violations of alcohol marketing rules, and other unethical practices, such as depleting scarce drinking water.