Addiction Switzerland says: "Migros, stay alcohol-free!"
The nonprofit foundation Sucht Schweiz is launching a campaign ahead of Migros' policy vote: The retailer should continue to keep alcohol off its shelves.
The non-profit foundation Addiction Switzerland warns in a press release: If the Migros cooperative shareholders vote in favor of including alcohol in the retailer's product range at the beginning of June, a significant increase in alcohol problems in Switzerland is to be expected. Already today, 250,000 people in Switzerland suffer from alcoholism; every year, 11,500 people are admitted to hospital with symptoms of alcohol intoxication and 1,550 people even die as a result of their consumption.
Last chance to buy, more alcohol advertising
If "the last trigger-free shopping opportunity for alcoholics in Switzerland and countless people who have overcome their addiction" were to disappear, accompanied by feared side effects such as "additional alcohol advertising and an increase in cheap alcohol", this could have drastic consequences. Alcohol is "not an ordinary consumer good, but a psychoactive substance that can cause a lot of damage." It is therefore particularly commendable that Migros founder Gottlieb Duttweiler decided back in 1928 not to sell alcohol: By honoring his legacy, Migros is actively protecting health, according to Sucht Schweiz.
A "love letter" to Migros: "Stay as you are!"
The foundation is therefore launching a campaign with posters, videos and a "love letter" to Migros, which the public can co-sign, to coincide with the start of the ballot at Migros today. The letter emphasizes Migros' role as a visionary and expresses appreciation for this. The letter concludes with the words "Stay as you are! Stay alcohol-free." On a specially created website can be joined by all those who share this view.
