Minimum Unit Pricing (MUP)

Minimum Unit Pricing (MUP) is a policy designed to set a legal lowest price for alcoholic beverages, usually measured per unit of alcohol. It aims to reduce alcohol consumption and related harms by making cheap, strong drinks more expensive, particularly impacting heavy drinkers and vulnerable groups. For instance, if a unit of alcohol is set at a minimum price, retailers cannot sell drinks below that threshold. This approach has been adopted in places like Scotland to tackle public health issues associated with excessive drinking, such as liver disease and alcohol-related accidents.