SCOTTISH ministers were briefed on a “Buckfast summit” held amid fears the drink was causing health problems north of the border, cabinet records from 2006 reveal.
They include a report of a meeting between then Labour health minister Andy Kerr and “representatives of J Chandler & Co", the firm responsible for marketing and distributing Buckfast in the UK, in October.
Mr Kerr asked the company to consider selling Buckfast in plastic bottles - apparently to stop glass ones being used aggressively - and even altering the recipe of the legendary 15 per cent tonic wine.
The meeting was part of the then Scottish Executive’s “wider engagements with the alcohol industry to discuss the role it could play in reducing alcohol related harm in Scotland”.
Dubbed the Buckfast summit by the media, the Scottish Cabinet was told the meeting was “robust but cordial” and Mr Kerr had “made clear that Buckfast was one of many challenges in reducing alcohol misuse”, and was not being singled out for special treatment.
“Both sides agreed that the dialogue should continue and Mr Kerr requested that Buckfast share with him current research around their market; that they consider the use of plastic bottles; and that they consider the content of the drink itself," the records state.
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