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Author: Consumer Choice Center

[Marketing Medium] Consumer Choice Center releases manifesto for post-COVID innovation

“One issue that many EU countries need to improve on, is fast and easy access to medicines. In a time when we want to practice social distancing, patients in certain countries do not have access to prescription medicine, or even non-prescription drugs online. As a result, we are forcing elderly people to see a doctor in person or go to a brick and mortar pharmacy. This is antiquated and does not stand up to the challenges of our time.

from Consumer Choice Center https://ift.tt/2SYXrAL

[Marketing Medium] Il Consumer Choice Center rilascia il Manifesto per la libertà del consumatore post COVID-19.

“ Tra i vari settori in cui gli stati dell’Unione Europea, e specialmente l’Italia, dovrebbero aggiornare la propria legislazione, c’è l’accesso ai medicinali. In Italia dovrebbero seguire il buon esempio della Lombardia che ha emesso ricette anche via SMS durante questa emergenza per lasciare respirare gli ambulatori medici. “

source http://meltwater.pressify.io/publication/5ebb8ce810a2f4000445b500/5aa837df2542970e001981f6

[Marketing Medium] Consumer Choice Center releases manifesto for post-COVID innovation

“One issue that many EU countries need to improve on, is fast and easy access to medicines. In a time when we want to practice social distancing, patients in certain countries do not have access to prescription medicine, or even non-prescription drugs online. As a result, we are forcing elderly people to see a doctor in person or go to a brick and mortar pharmacy. This is antiquated and does not stand up to the challenges of our time.

source http://meltwater.pressify.io/publication/5ebb8ce710a2f4000445b4ff/5aa837df2542970e001981f6

[Marketing Medium] Consumers don’t want more expensive food

Brussels, BE – In a presentation to the Agriculture Committee of the European Parliament, Frans Timmermanns, Commissioner for the European Green Deal, explained that more sustainable food requires higher prices. “We’ve gotten used to everything being very, very cheap and I honestly believe that if there’s re-evaluation, and health gets a bigger priority, then the willingness to pay a little bit more for better foodstuffs might increase,” he said. 

source http://meltwater.pressify.io/publication/5eb91c4a4959ae0004807269/5aa837df2542970e001981f6

[Marketing Medium] Consumers don’t want more expensive food

Brussels, BE – In a presentation to the Agriculture Committee of the European Parliament, Frans Timmermanns, Commissioner for the European Green Deal, explained that more sustainable food requires higher prices. “We’ve gotten used to everything being very, very cheap and I honestly believe that if there’s re-evaluation, and health gets a bigger priority, then the willingness to pay a little bit more for better foodstuffs might increase,” he said. 

from Consumer Choice Center https://ift.tt/3fHqbrw

Top železničné stanice – aké je ich tajomstvo? Tu je rebríček 10 najlepších

Najlepšie železničné stanice Európy? Dá sa z nich docestovať do najväčšieho počtu destinácií, sú upratané a vždy čisté, disponujú dostatočným počtom sociálnych zariadení, ktoré sa cestujúci nemusia obávať použiť, sú prehľadné a zariadené tak, že ani vozíčkari či rodičia s kočíkmi nemajú problém nastúpiť na vlak…

Podľa rebríčka European Railway Station Index, ktorý zostavila spoločnosť Consumer Choice Center, je v top desiatke najviac takýchto železničných uzlov v Nemecku.

Read more here


The Consumer Choice Center is the consumer advocacy group supporting lifestyle freedom, innovation, privacy, science, and consumer choice. The main policy areas we focus on are digital, mobility, lifestyle & consumer goods, and health & science.

The CCC represents consumers in over 100 countries across the globe. We closely monitor regulatory trends in Ottawa, Washington, Brussels, Geneva and other hotspots of regulation and inform and activate consumers to fight for #ConsumerChoice. Learn more at consumerchoicecenter.org

[EU] Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan – Consultation

Summary

Every year, 3.5 million people in the EU are diagnosed with cancer, and 1.3 million die from it. Over 40% of cancer cases are preventable. Without reversing current trends, it could become the leading cause of death in the EU. Europe’s beating cancer plan aims to reduce the cancer burden for patients, their families and health systems. It will address cancer related inequalities between and within Member States with actions to support, coordinate and complement Member States’ efforts.

The Commission would like to hear your views.

Roadmaps are open for feedback for 4 weeks. Feedback will be taken into account for further development and fine tuning of the initiative. The Commission will summarise the input received in a synopsis report explaining how the input will be taken on board and, if applicable, why certain suggestions can’t be taken up. Feedback received will be published on this site and therefore must adhere to the feedback rules

Feedback period

04 February 2020 – 07 May 2020  (midnight Brussels time)


Response

As a consumer advocacy group representing two million consumers in Europe, we welcome the Commission’s ambition to beat cancer. However, we would like to emphasise the importance of approaching the issue from a multi-sided and, most importantly, scientific perspective. 

It has been suggested multiple times that increasing tobacco taxation and/or prohibiting branding of tobacco products is a sensible way forward. Although the intended consequences of such a policy are not straightforward, their potential harm cannot be dismissed. Helping consumers quit tobacco consumption is a noble goal in itself. However, it is important to keep in mind that compulsion – such as taxation – doesn’t always achieve the expected results. Consumers should be seen as responsible for their own wellbeing when taking an informed choice to smoke. In the spirit of showing respect for consumer choice, encouragement might be a more balanced way forward. Creating and sustaining conditions under which adult smokers are able to switch to healthier options such as e-cigarettes, vaping devices, or snus is not only a forward-looking solution, but also the ones that demonstrate the Commission’s commitment to tackling cancer without undermining consumer choice.

Vaping has been proven to be 95% less harmful than smoking tobacco, and has been endorsed by international health bodies as a safer alternative. Joachim Schüz, head of environment and radiation at the WHO’s cancer research agency, the International Agency for Research on Cancer, said e-cigarettes are in “no way as harmful” as tobacco cigarettes and could help heavy smokers to quit.

Traditional cigarettes, when burned, create more than 7,000 chemicals, 69 of which have been identified as potential carcinogens. 

Vape devices, on the other hand, contain completely different ingredients. The two main ingredients used in vape liquids are propylene glycol (PG) and vegetable glycerin (VG), both used to form the vapour and add flavour to it. Added to these two ingredients is a third, usually a common food flavouring found in cakes, oils, and other food items that help give the vape liquid its taste. All of these aforementioned compounds are common food ingredients that are deemed healthy and safe by regulatory bodies including the EFSA. The other variable ingredient in vape liquid is nicotine, the stimulant alkaloid. Though not all liquids contain this addictive chemical, it is widely seen as the main draw for former smokers looking to quit smoking. When compared to other alternatives in getting people to quit, including Nicotine Replace Therapy (NRT) patches and drugs, vaping has been found to be more effective. 

The belief that e-cigarettes are unsafe and cause a number of lung diseases doesn’t stand up to scrutiny. There is sufficient evidence proving that the vast majority of reported illnesses associated with vaping in places such as the United States were caused by illicit cannabis vape cartridges sold on the black market, not those purchased legally in licensed retailers. Banning or regulating devices and liquids, whether with flavours or not, would only drive demand to the black market which won’t solve the cancer problem. Allowing vaping products as harm reduction tools for adult smokers should be a key priority of the Commission’s cancer strategy.

We need to encourage the marketing and branding of safe and legal vaping products. Consumer information is necessary in order to crowd out dangerous black market products.

On behalf of the consumers and with a view to helping the Commission find the soundest way to tackle cancer, we, therefore, suggest the following:

  • Endorse e-cigarettes as an effective way of helping smokers move to a safer alternative and eventually quit if they desire to do so
  • Allow advertising of e-cigarettes in print, on television and radio in order to inform consumers better of the harm-reducing potential of vaping nicotine

In our opinion, these steps would be an effective way to reduce cancer rates in Europe.

[Marketing Medium] Reducing Alcohol Minimum Pricing Is A Win For Consumers

Toronto, ON –  The Ontario government has announced that the minimum price for spirits will be reduced for restaurants selling spirits. Specifically, 750ml bottles of rum, gin, vodka, whiskey, and tequila sold by restaurants will have a minimum price of $34.65, which is down from the previous minimum of $51.72.David Clement, Toronto-based North American Affairs Manager for the Consumer Choice Center (CCC), said “The reduction of minimum pricing is a big win for consumers in Ontario.

source http://meltwater.pressify.io/publication/5eb2d83cb100b60004e98136/5aa837df2542970e001981f6

[Marketing Medium] Reducing Alcohol Minimum Pricing Is A Win For Consumers

Toronto, ON –  The Ontario government has announced that the minimum price for spirits will be reduced for restaurants selling spirits. Specifically, 750ml bottles of rum, gin, vodka, whiskey, and tequila sold by restaurants will have a minimum price of $34.65, which is down from the previous minimum of $51.72.David Clement, Toronto-based North American Affairs Manager for the Consumer Choice Center (CCC), said “The reduction of minimum pricing is a big win for consumers in Ontario.

from Consumer Choice Center https://ift.tt/2YGbzSU

Ban on cigarettes during MCO strengthened black market: Survey

The ban on cigarette sales during the MCO has increased the sale of contraband products which could have been averted, says industry player.

KUALA LUMPUR, May 6, 2020 — A blanket cigarettes sale ban during the Movement control order (MCO) gave the black market for tobacco a boost.

This is what a public opinion poll shows. It says a majority of Malaysians believe the cigarettes sale ban was negative.

The latest Asia Pacific survey saw over 1000 adults responding in Malaysia. It was commissioned by the advocacy group, the Consumer Choice Center (CCC).

The leading independent polling company, Populus was responsible for the fieldwork. It found that:

  • Eight out of ten Malaysian adults (80%) agrees that people would defy a ban on tobacco sale during a lockdown. They would go to great length to get the products.
  • Almost three-quarters of all respondents (72%, and 78% of smokers) agrees that people would continue to purchase tobacco products, but that sales would shift to black/illegal markets.
  • Unsurprisingly, most Malaysians (58%) thought a restriction would encourage people to quit.
  • 71% agrees that prohibition could increase the spread of coronavirus. They say the illegal sale of products that do not meet safety standards in distribution is risky.
  • the spread of Coronavirus through the sale of illegal products that do not meet safety standards in distribution.

Fred Roeder, Managing Director of the Consumer Choice Center says,“Our research clearly shows that people will still smoke and will likely go to great lengths to find alternative supply whenever theirs runs dry.

“Under restrictive MCO measures, encouraging unnecessary movement put lives at risk by increasing the chances of contracting and transmitting Covid-19.”

Roeder says the MCO caused a disruption in the distribution of legal cigarettes.

This resulted in an explosion of illicit cigarette trade, as highlighted by the relevant authorities in recent news reports.”

The vast majority of respondents (72%) say the ban on the sale of tobacco diverts vital resources from combatting Covid-19. They cite the increase in enforcement cost and time.

“Malaysian enforcement authorities have recently expended plenty of resources to counter illicit trade. There were roadblocks and thorough checks on food couriers and e-hailing service providers.

Nevertheless, this was the cause of unnecessary delays in an already difficult situation,” explains Roeder.

“While the initiative to encourage people to stop smoking during MCO is well-intentioned, it was a failure. Instead, this move has enriched transnational criminal syndicates and corrupt facilitators while reinforcing the endemic presence of illegal cigarettes in Malaysia,” he says.

“As Malaysia enters the phase of conditional MCO, the resumption of normal sales by legitimate players may not be enough to break the stranglehold on the market that illicit traders have gained over the last one-and-a-half months.”

He says there is a need for more effort, be it through bold policies and stricter enforcement to control this scourge effectively.

CCC conducted the survey in five countries in the Asia Pacific region including Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Philippines and South Korea.

Originally published here.


The Consumer Choice Center is the consumer advocacy group supporting lifestyle freedom, innovation, privacy, science, and consumer choice. The main policy areas we focus on are digital, mobility, lifestyle & consumer goods, and health & science.

The CCC represents consumers in over 100 countries across the globe. We closely monitor regulatory trends in Ottawa, Washington, Brussels, Geneva and other hotspots of regulation and inform and activate consumers to fight for #ConsumerChoice. Learn more at consumerchoicecenter.org

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