White Cider
Why am doing this?
I would like to make people aware that all Ciders are not the same! There are a lot of differences between white cider and traditional brown ciders.
As far as I’m concerned white cider aided my son’s death. If Kyle had chosen another drink that was less potent he may still be alive today.
Kyle had Server Anxiety and a form of Agoraphobia that made him need dutch courage to go out, answer his phone or front door. Health professional’s wouldn’t listened to me because he was over the age of 18 therefore Kyle would have to get help himself. Although in the past, when Kyle was younger, I did try to get help but I just seemed to get pushed from one place to another because Kyle “didn’t have a behavioural problem”
Kyle started to drink white cider from a young age 16-18 and his choice of cider didn’t change until he passed away at the age of 31. Myself his family and friends tried to get him help. We tried to get him to change his choice of drink but nothing would match up to the strength and cheapness of white cider. We tried to persuade him to go into hospital but his mental health prevented that.
I watched my son die vomiting blood, I was grieving before Kyle died because I knew that white cider would kill him but there was nothing I could do.
How is it made?
“White cider” 'is made by processing cider after the traditional brewing process is complete, resulting in a nearly white product. This processing allows the manufacturer to produce strong (typically 7-8% ABV) cider cheaply, quickly, and on an industrial scale, often from poor raw materials'.
Pomace is the dry apple pulp left behind when the juice has been pressed out of it and this is usually fed to animals or used for making pectin. (Pectin is a soluble gelatinous polysaccharide which is present in ripe fruits and is used as a setting agent in jams and jellies) Other large manufacturers use apple concentrate from abroad and get most of the alcohol from the addition of glucose or corn syrup. This is then fermented out to about 15%abv and then brought down with water to around 7.5abv and sold in 2 or 3 litre bottles.
Traditional craft cider is usually made from a very high percentage of fresh-pressed apple juice. That means the resulting strength of the cider is dictated by how much sugar is present in the apples at harvest time.
Worley’s Cider says “Traditional craft cider isn’t abused because it’s a high-price craft product – not exactly the target of problem drinkers. Makers of white ‘cider’, on the other hand, seem to be hell-bent on using their economies of scale, and the recent availability of extremely cheap globally produced concentrate to cynically market very cheap alcohol units – which, of course, are highly likely to become the target of alcohol abusers. They’re exploiting cider’s advantageous duty rate while not planting any orchards or even using domestically produced concentrate”.
James Crowden - Arthur says “White cider is easy to make and then given zappy macho names like White Lightning, Frosty Jack’s, Diamond White, White Ace, White Star, White Strike, Three Hammers, Ice White and White Magic. The real problem however is that, unlike pornography which is relegated to the top shelves, white cider is often found at ground floor level within easy reach of teenagers. What often happens is that gangs go round drinking large bottles of white cider, or lager and wreak havoc in public places. The combination of violence and cheap alcohol is not a pretty sight and can be lethal, not just to them but to others”
Frosty Jack's Site – A White Cider Manufacturer as they see it!
Frosty Jack's is a refreshingly crisp sparkling cider made from the juice of culinary apples to deliver its characteristically pale appearance.
One of the UK's favourite cider brands, Frosty Jack’s is amongst the top five best selling cider brands in the UK, with the most loyal drinkers of any brand within the cider category.
It is enjoyed on a regular basis by both men & women alike as their 'tried & trusted' cider for regular any day, low tempo ‘winding down’ drinking occasions in the home, often with food or watching TV.
Units
A unit of alcohol is defined in the UK as 10ml of alcohol – that amount is contained in a half pint of fairly weak (3.5% ABV [alcohol by volume]) beer; a medium glass (175ml) of 12% ABV wine would contain about 2 units.
Typically, White Cider ranges between 6.9% and 7.5% ABV.
A Report from Gloucester Live -
It's the drink which has been described as 'murder in a can,' and 'like heroin for alcoholics.' High strength white cider has been linked with a range of health problems - and also some social issues too. For years antisocial street drinking has been blamed for blighting Gloucester's image and many more people in the county are battling alcohol addiction. A 2011 report by Alcohol Concern, backed by homeless charities St Mungo's and Thames Reach, interviewed street drinkers about the affects of white cider. They included conditions ranging from panic attacks to vomiting blood. The report also said street drinkers viewed white cider as being similar to heroin. Last year, the Institute for Alcohol Studies said high-strength white cider is like 'murder in a can.' Three litre bottles of 7.5 per cent white cider has around 24 units, while the latest advice states men and women should not exceed 14 units per week. High strength alcohol has also been linked with neurological disorders such as with dementia and brain damage. It has also been associated with liver failure, mobility issues, injuries from falling over, and double incontinence
Politics
Politicians have long criticised the rock-bottom price of White Cider. In March 2017, Conservative MP Fiona Bruce launched a campaign calling on the government to take action to address the devastating harms caused to young and vulnerable people by cheap, high strength alcohol.
Following the rise in alcohol tax in the budget, cider up to 7.5% in strength attracts a lower rate of duty than standard 4% beer or lager, meaning drinks makers can mass produce white cider and sell it cheap to the consumer. In March 2017, a Treasury report explained that the government is creating new categories for alcoholic drinks based on strength in a bid to encourage producers to make products with lower alcoholic volumes.
There is a conception that white cider is only made up of chemicals. White Cider and street drinkers: recommendation to reduce harm seeks to examine the evidence for this claim, and studies the impact of white cider on dependent drinkers.
It examines the history, production and taxation of white cider, and considers the implications for future taxation, health and homelessness policies. The full report is available https://www.alcoholconcern.org.uk
What’s being done today?
A number of off-licences have cleared their shelves of strong cider ahead of the minimum pricing law which came into force.
The new law – which states that a unit of alcohol must cost at least 50 pence – has been introduced by the Scottish government in a bid to make people drink less cheap, high-strength alcohol.
The Scottish government claims minimum pricing will save 58 lives in the next year and lead to fewer hospital admissions.
Solution? By James Crowden - Author
One step forward would be if the Food Standards Agency had the courage to insist on accurate labelling about ingredients in cider and methods of manufacture. When for instance you buy a bar of chocolate the percentage of cocoa solids is declared on the wrapper usually between 25% to 75%. So with cider it should have the apple juice content clearly marked and anything below 85% apple should be taxed much more heavily.
The FSA commissioned a report in 2004 which found that juice content in commercial ciders varied from 7% to 100%. One solution is to find a foolproof test for apple juice markers, then regulate the use of maize or wheat derived glucose syrup, re-schedule the tax laws but without discriminating against the traditional craft cider maker. Then cheap white cider would be a thing of the past.
Harm
Excessive alcohol consumption by the most vulnerable people is all too often through cheap high street, low quality products, especially so-called ‘white ciders’, Professionals working with homeless and dependent street drinkers have expressed concern for many years about white cider.
Quotes from Various People
“Frosty Jacks is like £3 for 5 litres isn't it? It's children's booze!!”
“omg Frosty Jacks cider, many a night has passed without knowing what went off on that stuff but that was a few years ago, I would rather not know what goes into it lethal stuff”
“Good grief! Why do people sell this fowl brew? It neither tastes of anything remotely resuming anything that is alcoholic but has an alcohol content of 7.5 %? Surely this concoction is designed for park bench dwellers?? yuk!”
“I’ll drink it [WC] if it’s the only thing there is”
“WC] is gut-churning. I hope I never have to go back there ….all alcoholics are mathematicians regarding ABV and value”
“I won’t have it [WC] in the house – it causes too many arguments”
“I’m an alcoholic – I drink what I can afford. But it [WC] is horrible stuff
and makes me have fits”
“I drink [WC] if there’s no other option, or if someone else has a bottle,
Which often happens. If I had the money, I would buy lager, because
[WC] is just drinking because you have to”
Thank you for taking the time to read my report. I’m not trying to ban white cider because I know that will never happen, I just want people to be aware about what happened to my son and this will continue to happen to others if the facts are ignored.
If people, especially young people, start out drinking white cider with an alcohol content of 7.5%, then their bodies will get used to that strength. Then unfortunately for some, what will follow will be alcoholism.
Ref –
http://www.james-crowden.co.uk/