ASH Daily News for 04 July 2008

Greene King profits up despite smoking ban

Greene King has reported a 1.4 percent increase in pre-tax profits despite the smoking ban and consumer downturn contributing to what the company's chief executive labelled a "hard year". 

Rooney Anand described the pub company's performance in the year to May 4 as "exceptional" as he unveiled a 5 percent rise in revenues and profits before tax of £147.9m.

Pub sector shares have been hit hard in recent months as the potential impact of the economic downturn on consumer spending has started to become apparent but Mr Anand said he was confident of meeting management's expectations for the year.

The pub group's share price rose 33 to 433¼p as analysts welcomed the results, which were ahead of forecasts. Sales in the first eight weeks of the current financial year were down 2.8pc in the managed pubs estate while profits were flat in the tenanted division.

Mr Anand highlighted the performance of Greene King's Scottish pub estate, where operating profits were up 18 percent in the second year of the smoking ban. He said that gave him "some encouragement for future prospects in England" where the first anniversary of the ban has just passed.

An 18.7p final dividend on September 18 lifts the total 14pc to 26p.

Source: The Telegraph,04 July 2008
Link: http://tinyurl.com/6hf93g

Health experts discuss measures to tobacco control in Africa

Dr. Metshidiso Moeti, an expert in Tobacco Control in Africa, says although there has been political commitments in implementing conventions on Tobacco Control on the continent there still remains a lot more to be done. She noted that there is the need to accelerate the peer of strengthening the response to tobacco control and to guarantee the health of the people. Dr. Moeti who is the World Health Organization Director for Prevention and Control of Non Communicable Diseases in Africa was speaking in an interview with Radio Ghana, at a Regional Consultative Meeting in Accra. 

Dr. Moeti observed the challenges facing tobacco control on the continent and concludes improving technical support, adoption of base practices, experiences by signatory countries to the tobacco convention and funding as well as public information and dissemination. She noted that the good news is that even though Africa, faces a challenge in tobacco control, there is a great deal of opportunity to improve measures, as compared to the situation in Asia. Participants from over thirty Anglophone and Francophone countries at the end of the meeting are expected to develop a framework for effective tobacco control in Africa.

Source: Ghana Broadcasting, 27 June 2008
Link: http://tinyurl.com/6s67lu

Smokefree policies are working

Smokefree policies are reducing heart disease related to smoke exposure, the prevalence of smoking in adults and the exposure of both adults and children to secondhand smoke.

These and other findings are published in a special report of this month's the Lancet Oncology.

The report, by the International Agency for Cancer Research (IARC), also showed that smokefree policies do not decrease the business activity of the restaurant and bar industry.

The author said, "A reduction in the lung cancer burden is plausible, but relevant evidence will only become available in the future."

Dr John Pierce of the University of California and Dr Maria Lean from IARC's Tobacco and Cancer Team prepared the report in collaboration with scientists from around the world.

The working group comprehensively assessed peer-reviewed published work and accessible governmental reports on the effect of smokefree policies.

Strong evidence was found that smokefree workplaces decrease the prevalence of adult smoking; that smokefree policies decrease tobacco use in youths; that the introduction of smokefree legislation decreases heart disease morbidity; and that smoke-free home policies decrease smoking in youths."

The working group recommended that governments implement smokefree policies that conform to the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC).

"Not only do these policies achieve their aim of protecting the health of non-smokers by decreasing exposure to secondhand smoke, they also have many effects on smoking behaviour. The authors pointed out that up to now, most research has been done in high resource countries."

Source: IOL, 02 July 2008
Link: http://tinyurl.com/6qp3cq

New Zealand: Tobacco giants' cash incentives under fire

The Ministry of Health is investigating the rebates tobacco companies pay retailers to stock their products.

The ministry said it would investigate "the issue of tobacco companies providing incentives to retailers to sell and display tobacco".

At Wednesday's meeting of Parliament's health select committee, the Association of Convenience Stores told MPs retailers received "standard trade rebates" from tobacco companies.

The ministry said: "Section 28 (2) of the Smoke-free Environments Act (1990) bans any gift or cash rebate as an inducement or reward to any retailer for the purchase, sale, advertising or placement of tobacco products."

The association's statement to MPs was confirmed by committee chairwoman Sue Kedgley, the Cancer Society's Action on Smoking and Health (ASH), and the Association of Convenience Stores executive director, David Killeen.

Mr Killeen said,"If you agree to sell so many brands of their product, they give you certain rebates. The rebate is associated with the decision to purchase a particular brand. It's got nothing to do with display."

The committee was hearing submissions on a petition calling for retail tobacco displays to be removed.

Teens who regularly visit shops where packets of cigarettes are displayed for all to see are at increased risk of taking up smoking, a new study shows.

Dr Janine Paynter, of the Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) anti-tobacco group said, "This is evidence that these displays are associated with smoking."

The study, presented to the Public Health Association conference in Waitangi, is drawn from a wider ASH smoking survey of 29,000 Year 10 students. It looked at their visits to stores with tobacco displays and their risk of taking up smoking.

Comparing students who visited stores daily with those who visited less than weekly, the study found that the likelihood of experimenting with smoking was almost tripled. Visiting twice or three times a week doubled the likelihood of trying smoking.

Source: The New Zealand Herald, 04 July 2008
Link: http://tinyurl.com/6726ol