From purchase to pour: Responsibility matters this April as cost pressures rise

GARDEN ROUTE | KAROO NEWS - As South Africa moves through the Easter period, marked by long weekends, school holidays and increased social gatherings, the Drinks Federation of South Africa, DF-SA, is encouraging both consumers and traders to keep responsibility front of mind.

April is a time of connection, travel, and celebration. It is also a period where risks tend to increase, making informed and responsible choices especially important.

This year, the Easter period coincides with growing financial pressure on households, including rising fuel costs.

Independent research by Euromonitor International highlights price as a key driver of illicit alcohol purchases, with illicit and counterfeit products often sold at significantly lower prices than legitimate alternatives.

In South Africa, illicit alcohol accounts for approximately 18% of total consumption and is linked to broader criminal activity, while also undermining lawful trade.

“Research shows that illicit and counterfeit alcohol is often chosen because it is cheaper,” says Angela Russell, CEO of DF-SA. “These products can be, on average, 37% cheaper, which makes them more accessible, but that price difference comes at a cost.”

Illicit alcohol refers to products produced, distributed, or sold outside the legal and regulatory framework, including alcohol brought into the country without paying tax, smuggled goods, and diverted stock.

Importantly, illicit alcohol is a broad category and does not automatically mean the product is unsafe to consume.

Many illicit products are genuine alcohol that has entered the market through unlawful channels.

Counterfeit alcohol, which forms part of illicit alcohol, involves the imitation of legitimate brands through fraudulent packaging, labelling, and sometimes contents. It is this subset of illicit alcohol, counterfeit products, that presents the most direct potential health risk to consumers, as the contents may be tampered with, diluted, or replaced with unsafe substances.

In other words, while all counterfeit alcohol is illicit, not all illicit alcohol is counterfeit, and the primary consumer health concern lies specifically with counterfeit products.

Because these products operate outside regulatory and tax systems, they bypass quality controls and oversight. This lack of oversight is particularly concerning in the case of counterfeit alcohol, where there is no assurance of what the product contains.

The consumption of counterfeit alcohol has potential health implications. Survey findings indicate that 49% of respondents know someone who has been harmed by counterfeit alcohol.